Hayabusa
by AtomicFire
Summary: What if Ron came back from Japan with a hobby he could show to Kim? What if Kim wasn't the one taken by this new hobby?
1. Chapter 1: A Ghost On The Road

_**Hayabusa**_

AN: I'm guilty of it as much as anyone, Ron always driving a Harley Davidson... time to get out of the box. Don't own KP, don't plan on owning it anytime soon.

Chapter 1: _A Ghost On The Road_

The shrill, powerful cry of the engine pierced the early morning silence as the bike and it's rider screamed down the empty interstate.

_God why didn't I find out about this SOONER! _His mind screamed as he leaned into the corner, not hitting the breaks, as he flew out of the curve he flicked his wrist again feeding the sport bike under him more fuel and air and making his already huge adrenaline high that much higher.

He was broken from his bliss with a look at the clock on the limited instruments... 7AM... _Damn! I have to head to KP's place or she'll skin me._

Seeing a service road between the two ribbons of concrete he brought the bike down from speed, pulling a quick endo for fun as the turned back towards town and opened the bike up all the way... the front wheel came off the road from the sheer power, the rider accepted this with a sly grin under his helmet and enjoyed the wheelie.

He remembered his first time on a sport bike, during his time at Yamanuchi... as soon as he arrived in Japan he could not miss the culture that surrounded those beautiful, fast machines. After his defeat of good old Monte Fiske some of the other students had warmed to him and shown him around, since they were all bikers they had gotten him a sport bike to ride too. To his suprise even Yori had one, a pale blue custom Suzuki GSX-R750.

It was instant love. In the days he had left there he lapped tracks with them and tried out many bikes, they all applauded his skill, as with the Lotus Blade it was if he had been born to it, but one bike fit him better than the others. He had called and convinced his folks to release some funds from his 'Naco' account, he was bringing something special home direct from the factory... a brand new Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R Limited Edition, 200+ mph, painted white and silver, a ghost on the road.

_Lets see how fast I can get there today. _With that the front tire met the concrete and he flew down the road towards his second home.

From a ridge overlooking the highway a woman sat against her own machine watched the performance with deepening shock, she didn't know who owned that Hayabusa, she had watched the mysterious bike and it's rider mornings before but did not know who it was... _But I will be finding out today! _She mounted her bike and took off after it.

Kim was enjoying her cinnamon toast as she contemplated her poached eggs, she then heard the roar of an all too familiar engine enter her driveway... _I wonder how much ground he covered this morning... how many stunts he pulled. _She worried about Ron these days, ever since he returned from Japan two months ago with that bike he had been a slightly different person. The goofiness was still there but the clumsiness had faded to nothing, he was still the Ron she remembered but different.

He had explained to her how he began riding over there with some friends he had made and how he discovered how good he was at it, that was fair enough but now he was taking much bigger risks, he seemed to feed off of them... _Adrenaline Junkie? _Flashed through Kim's head. _I thought I was the one with that problem!_

Kim was unsure about all of this but with no hard info about his trip to Japan she was as in the dark about the whole sitch as she could be.

Problem was Kim Possible was _never_ in the dark when it came to Ron Stoppable. His new physique, the confidence he now had all were a big mystery and all Ron would say when asked what happened in Japan is that he could not say because he had made a promise on his honour. Kim knew Ron's word was as good as gold and she had to leave it at that.

_I have to admit though, the gear doesn't hurt his looks any. _Kim thought as Ron entered the Possible family kitchen.

"Good morning Mr. Dr. P. where's Mrs. Dr. P. this fine Friday morning?" Ron asked the man behind the newspaper.

As he looked over the paper at Ron, James Possible responded, "Good morning Ron, she had early rounds, went in for 5am."

Kim looked over at her dearest friend talking with her father.

Ron was standing there in his favorite bikers suit, he had brought it from Japan, form fitting black leather with a large white stripe down the left side, it made him look like a super hero now that he had filled out a bit. He wore a set of designer sunglasses and held his helmet on his arm, the helmet was black with a large blue dragon painted on it accented with gold leaf. All in all it gave Ron an aggressive look he had never had before. He unzipped the jacket revealing a white T-shirt clinging to his muscular form, it had become his standard outfit.

_Whatever he did over in Japan didn't hurt his body at all._ Kim's mind stated before she caught herself. _This is RON, friend not boyfriend!_ Another part of her mind screamed as her eyes lingered.

James Possible looked from behind his paper and asked, "How far out today Ron?"

"Well Mr. Dr. P when I looked at 7 am I was 50 miles out or thereabouts." Ron instantly regretted saying that as he saw James Possible look at the clock and grimace... 7:30AM... _Dummy! Never give a Rocket Scientist enough data to calculate speed!_

The paper was instantly down on the table and James was looking directly at Ron with wide eyes and a concerned expression, "100 mph Ron? Probably MUCH more than that because I will assume you obeyed stop signs." His look let Ron knew he didn't know which would be worse, the fact he had obeyed the stop signs or that he had just traveled 100 mph the whole way to be in front of him.

"Just getting some urges out on the open road." Ron blushed as he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

At those words James didn't say another thing and returned to his paper with a chuckle... _If his 'urges' are that strong the open road is the place for him! _James was also distantly envious of the young man's skill. He had owned a bike himself back in his younger years but after a spin around the block on that Hayabusa he knew Ron was in another league altogether.

As Ron looked towards Kim he couldn't help but wince as he noticed the shocked look on her face, Kim really didn't know how far he pushed things when he rode. She had just gotten a taste and it didn't seem to agree with her.

"Morning, KP", Ron said cautiously with a goofy grin as he accepted the hot mug of coffee from her, "How's it going?"

"Other than finding out my best friend is a maniacal crotch rocket jockey, not too bad." Kim gave Ron a scathing look, they both heard James suppress a laugh from behind the paper. For his part Ron nearly ejected the coffee he had just ingested, but managed to keep his cool.

"Maniacal? Me? That hurts KP," Ron faked a hurt look, "And for your information I DID stop at every stop sign, only rule of the road I broke was the speed limit." He stated solemnly.

The admission did little to appease James, his trained mind threw in a couple of hard accelerations from and deaccelerations to zero and when he came up with the answer, it was worse than 100 mph, if not for the paper both teens would have seen James Possible go white as a ghost... _What has gotten into that boy?_

Outside the Possible household a black sport bike slowly drove by... _So he is HERE?... does she has a new boy toy? I need to know who drives that machine! _

The feeling she had watching him that morning would not go away... _uncontrollable lust._

She made her way around the corner and found a large bush to conceal her observation.

Ron polished off the last of his coffee as Kim finished her breakfast in silence. Ron's morning high speed dashes were creating a bit of tension for those around him he knew, while everyone wanted him happy, they also wanted him safe. He had an idea to let them see what it meant to him and get them into it too.

"I've booked some time at the race track in Lowerton this Sunday. Do you all want to come out and watch? My folks will be there to watch and the track rents sport bikes and riding gear Mr. Dr. P, you could have a go yourself if you want. So could you KP." Ron stated with a smile.

"I can't speak for Anne, but I'd love to come out and watch, maybe do a lap or two myself, how about you Kimmie-Cub?" James' face lit up as he spoke... _this could be fun!_

"Actually that sounds like a great way to spend a day, what time Speedy?" She teased. Kim had been to the track for her defensive driving course and had found it a blast. _I wonder if it will be even more fun on two wheels?_

"I have the track from 11 am to 4pm, so we have plenty of time to get in the groove before really opening the bikes up." Ron was glad they were coming, it would make the day much more fun... _and possibly give me a Possible to race against_.

"Come on Speedy, we have to head to school." Kim said twirling the keys to her personal ride, a nearly new green BMW 3- Series Coupe.

_And she calls me 'Speedy'! She has done things with that Bimmer that would make her Father launch HER into space! _Ron's mind laughed.

He quickly got ahead of Kim as they went through the house, his backpack had never left his back, she had to get hers. Outside he flashed her a quick grin before he put on his helmet... "Race ya?"

"As if Ronald! No racing for you today" Kim gave him _the _pout.

"Awwwww, all right." What else could he say... _damned pout_.

With that he strapped on his helmet, started the bike and hopped on in one fluid motion and proceeded to make his way quickly out of the driveway towards school.

She was stunned... the rider of that Hayabusa... _It's that damned sidekick STOPPABLE! _Her mind screamed, the lust was another thing, she had noticed his improved physique during their last encounter, now with the way she had seen him ride... _I want him. _

She quickly flipped her helmet on and hopped on her bike... _Lets see if this morning was a fluke._

_Ron's butt looks good in those leather pants. _Kim's mind drifted as she followed Ron down the street. Upon realizing what she had been thinking she shook herself and muttered a curse. Then she saw a black blur approaching from the right... FAST!

"Sonofa..." Kim snarled cramming her foot down on the brake pedal as the black sport bike darted in front of her... _Good thing a BMW has super brakes or that jackass would have eaten my front bumper!_

She had been following Ron who had actually been behaving himself, he was a bit aggressive but he was driving in a very normal manner this morning.

The rider of that black bike seemed very intent on getting up close to Ron... _What in the devil is going on here?_

Ron heard the screech of Kim's brakes as they smoked the pavement... it was a sound he had heard before as she 'found the limits' of her new car on the back roads around town. He wished two people fit on his Hayabusa so he could show Kim where the _real _limits were. _Yeah_, he daydreamed, _after that she'd have me committed IF she wasn't too busy kissing dirt. _His thoughts made him grin broadly as he checked six and saw the Bimmer sitting back the road a ways and a black sport bike rapidly gaining on his right side.

Ron shrugged to himself and slowed for the lights as they turned red. _Kim looks ok, no damage to her wheels, I'll find out what that rider wants soon enough._

He glided the bike to a perfect stop at the light, dropped his foot and gave the bike a quick rev as he waited for the mysterious rider to catch up.

_OK, here goes nothing_... She stopped beside him. " That's a GSX1300R isn't it, the Limited Edition?" She asked the man on the ghost beside her, not flipping up her visor, not wanting him to know.

"Yeah, it is, but if you wanted to know that you didn't have to cut off my friend back there." Ron said with an edge on his voice. _That voice... sounds female... who the devil is this!_

"Oh you mean the chick in the green BMW? She's fine, just gave her a wakeup call." The mysterious woman laughed darkly. "Are you up for a race with that beast against mine, hotshot? I watched you on the interstate this morning... I want to know if that was just a fluke or if you are _really_ that good." She said, throwing down the gauntlet.

_That sounds like fun... Wait... she was watching me this morning? Whatever, gotta get to school and keep my 'pout promise' to Kim. As for this rider... hmmm what about... _"Not gonna happen today." Ron stated sternly, preventing any argument. "I'm on my way to school and the middle of town just isn't the place to decide this, if you can keep your leather pants on I have some track time on Sunday in Lowerton. You know the place?" Ron asked.

_Not what and when I wanted but sounds good nonetheless... _"Yeah, I've booked time there myself... What time hotshot?" She asked as the light turned green.

"11 am, sharp... I'll be waiting." He said as he took off for school.

_I'll be there, I hope you'll be ready for what I'm bringing... on and off the track Stoppable. _The woman grinned as she gunned her machine away from the intersection.

During the exchange Kim had pulled up behind them with her window down, she heard the challenge issued and accepted... _Well at least he didn't fly off and do it now. _Ron had definitely matured. Kim also noticed the other rider had a feminine voice... _it sounds familiar but with that dammed helmet I couldn't tell who it was._

A honk behind her startled her out of her thoughts and she realized Ron and the mysterious stranger were both gone, with the light still green she made her way to school.

She had a bit of a mystery on her hands now, who was this woman after Ron to race? She comforted herself with the thought that Sunday was only two days away.

_When I get to school Ron and I are having a talk, I want to know everything this mystery woman said._

_Next:_ Chapter 2: _A Ghost In The Night_

This story is what you get from eating donairs and dreaming of motorcycles before bed. I do like the Hayabusa as a bike. It just has the look.

Truth be told though I am a four wheel guy at heart... Give me an Ariel Atom... look it up, better than any motorbike any day... Hmm, next story maybe?

Anyway Chapter 2 is in my head and sketched out and I'm on vacation for 2 weeks, after I do some work on my other stories and start perhaps 2 more I'll be back to this one. **_Enjoy!_**


	2. Chapter 2: A Ghost In The Night

AN: Don't own KP. Sorry about the long wait on this folks. Saturday will come in Chapter 3 (will be a bit shorter) and Sunday (race day, pure action and a bit more) in Chapter 4 which I will post as my muse allows. Might have a Chapter 5/Epilogue depending on the ending I choose to use. As for everyone guessing who the mystery rider is you may be right... But, if not for a few choice phrases I used in Chapter 1 it could have been another female that looks at Ron as the sidekick and a loser... eh, I flipped a coin and Bob Bon lost. But don't assume this is a triangle, squares are more fun than they seem. Thanks for the reads and reviews and please feel free to do it for this chapter as well!

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Chapter 2: _A Ghost In The Night_

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"Ron are you sure it was a female voice?" Kim asked in a slightly sharper voice than normal, not noticing the red colour forming in her cheeks.

"Yeah, it was female KP... I had this strange feeling like I had heard it before but you know these helmets, everything gets muffled, she sounded cute though." Ron failed to notice the rapid spread of red on Kim's face as he gathered his books for first class. He did notice her tone though... "Amp down, we'll find out who it is on Sunday at 11 am, I for one will forget about it until then." He gave her a trademark Stoppable devil-may-care grin.

Kim was flustered and unconvinced, "Given what our enemies have done in the past to get at us I don't think we should take this lightly... and Ron... she sounded cute!"

Ron turned to face Kim and proceeded to explain, "KP, when I was learning to ride challenges like this were offered and accepted everyday, kind of like a test of honour... don't go reading something else in that just isn't there. And as for the woman sounding cute, she did... had one of those cute voices."

_Why does he have to be so... so... accepting! This is another woman we are talking about and he thinks she sounds CUTE! _Kim's thought processes stopped cold at that point as her mind caught up with her internal rant. _I'm jellin' on Ron... friend not boyfriend, friend not boyfriend. _

Kim had a new mantra.

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The mantra was interrupted by the approach of Bonnie, "Loser! I still don't see how you got one of those Limited Edition Hayabusas, my cousin has been trying for 6 months and still can't, what makes a spaz like you so special?"

"Can't tell you Bon Bon, I just walked in and said I wanted a new Hayabusa... must have been a language barrier thing because I ended up with my Ghost." Ron couldn't tell her the full story. It seems that Yamanuchi is known of in the power circles of Japan in a slight way due to certain functions it performs. When the leaders of the conglomerate that controls Suzuki found out he wanted a Hayabusa to take home... and to this day Ron did not know how they found out about him or that specific information... he had been sold a Limited Edition Hayabusa. _It's all in knowing the right people Bon Bon._

"Only a complete loser like you would give a bike like that the name Ghost." Bonnie huffed.

"I dunno Bon Bon, get behind me in that Merc of yours on the Interstate some day and I'll show you why I named it Ghost." Ron gave her an evil grin. For a moment even Kim was taken aback, after the discussion in her kitchen that morning she had an inkling of what Ron would do.

"Grrrrr... Loser, Kim you stay here any longer with this and you'll be looking for a new reputation!" Bonnie huffed again and took off.

Kim looked around and saw how Bonnie was far from the truth, a lot of the women were looking at Ron, he now had his leather jacket off and was in just a white T-shirt and his leather racing pants. _That T-shirt looks painted on him, how dare they all stare at him, that's my job! Oh my goddd... friend not boyfriend, friend not boyfriend! _Kim could not stop herself from blushing all shades of red.

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"Hey Ron, Kim. Sorry, but I couldn't help hearing earlier, what's going on Sunday at 11 am if I might ask?" Tara asked as she came up to the duo.

"Hi Tara," Kim greeted her fellow cheerleader, "Speedy here has track time rented at Lowerton Raceway and some woman on a big black sport bike came up and challenged him this morning." Kim always suspected that Tara King saw almost as much potential in Ron as she did, but she knew Tara also saw Ron as boyfriend material.

"Cool! Could I come too? I know my Yamaha FZ6 can't hold a candle to that rocket you ride but I'd like to get some pointers from you, if you are willing that is." Tara added with a blush.

"Tara, you ride?" Ron was astonished, he never knew that Tara even had an interest in such things.

"Yeah, I had just gotten into riding a bit back in my old home town when we moved, I finally convinced my folks to let me start again here. I had a bunch of money saved so I got the Yamaha because it was a good mid range bike and easy to handle, bought a good helmet and some leathers... although I must admit none are as nice as yours Ron... I'm going to start riding to school next week, my course just finished last night." Tara admitted proudly.

Ron had a vision of Tara in racing leathers, Uma Thurman in 'Kill Bill' looked plain in comparison. His eyes glazed instantly. "Sure Tara, meet us at the track at 11 am on Sunday and I'll show you what I can. I have to say that I admire the fact that you bought a manageable bike, I tried a lot of bikes before I settled on my Ghost, most people just go out and buy the biggest baddest bike they can get and can't handle it."

Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing, it was like everyone was going two-wheel crazy around her. _It must be the leathers, making all the girls want Ron, but why does that bother me so much?_

"Thanks Ron, that means a lot to me coming from you," Tara smiled and looked into his soft brown eyes, "Will you be racing whomever this woman is on that black bike?"

"Yep, as soon as she shows up on Sunday we go at it, all out race." Ron admitted. He directed the two women to start walking towards class, his books now in his arms.

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"If I remember what I have read correctly your bike is limited to the mid 180 mph range, isn't it?" Tara asked as they walked.

"That's what it'll do at _factory_ specs, before I brought mine home from Japan I had the limiter bypassed and some better exhaust and intake parts put on, she should do better than 200 flat out if I could find enough space on a calm enough day... crosswinds suck." Ron admitted and at once realized he may have said too much due to the grimace now forming on Kim's face. _Why do I keep giving out all this info? All it seems to do is get me in trouble... except with Tara. _Ron noticed Tara had a very happy look on her face.

"Woah, how fast have you had her so far?" Tara asked, she really enjoyed riding and having someone so in tune with it like Ron around was awesome.

"Yeah Speedy, how fast?" Kim said with a growl. _I called him a maniacal crotch rocket jockey this morning, I may have been charitable!_

Ron was caught. Tara deserved an answer, heck she was the only one there who could relate, but KP was gonna freak... _Oh well, I've had a rich and full life... _"Well just after I got back from Japan, I took her out on the interstate at around am on a Sunday and wound it all the way out... I didn't have time to look at the speedo much but the last glance I had showed 165 mph before I had to back down for a corner."

"Ron, what does that feel like?" Tara asked in complete shock, she had never known anyone who had been that fast on a bike.

At that moment though Ron Stoppable was not in any way concerned with Tara. Kim had growled and now wore a look that could smash foot thick steel armor plate.

"Umm, KP we have to get to class." Ron looked back at his friend as he scratched the back of his neck.

Kim could never remember being so mad at Ron before... _That was just plain reckless! And judging by what he said this morning he does it almost every day! _"Ron, I really did not need to hear that, I have saved your life as you have saved mine on countless missions and you are going out and risking your neck for a... a... THRILL?"

"It's not a thrill kind of thing, I always found it to be very spiritual, it's pure freedom. Since Ron is obviously good at it I don't see what the problem is." Tara jumped in glaring right back at Kim. _How dare she attack Ron like that over something that brings him joy._

Kim promptly brushed between Ron and Tara and with another loud growl made her way to her first class.

Tara shrugged and turned to a stunned Ron, "I know it's supposed to rain most of the day tomorrow and clear off later, wanna get together and talk... riding I mean, I'd like to help you get your bike ready for Sunday. Maybe you could show me a few things on maintenance too?" _And if I am lucky we'll talk about a lot more than bikes!_

As they resumed moving down the hall Ron turned to Tara, "Sure, come over around 1 in the afternoon and we'll give the Ghost a going over, get your folks to drop you off and I'll give you a ride home in the truck. Here's my class, see you later in Chem?"

"You bet Ron! Hopefully Kim will have cooled by the time you meet up with her in English." Tara offered.

Ron shrugged and went on to History. "One can only hope."

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The rest of the morning passed relatively well for Ron, and as he made his way towards his English class he was feeling pretty good. The attention Tara had shown him had not gone unnoticed. Ron actually liked Tara quite a bit, she had always shown him kindness and affection and lately she seemed more willing to step around Bonnie to show it. He walked through the door and saw Kim sitting in her usual seat. Kim was another issue, Ron knew that she didn't approve of his new hobby at all, seemingly due to the danger factor involved... _Isn't that MY decision to make? Concern is one thing but KP is acting like she doesn't trust my judgment. What is up with her, she's blushing like crazy every time she looks at me, suddenly more concerned about my safety than normal or even healthy... wait... is she crushing on me? ... naaw! Not KP._

Ron walked in and took his usual seat next to Kim. She looked a bit more sociable than she had a few classes ago.

"Hi KP, still mad at me?" He asked as innocently as he could.

"Lets just say I'm not pleased with you right now, but Ron all of this stuff surrounding you riding that motorcycle is just hard to get my head around, I'm sorry for blowing up on you in front of Tara in the hall earlier."

"That's completely ok Kim, I know the past few months has been a bit much to digest, that's why I set up Sunday, so everyone I cherish in my life can see why I love it, why I do what I do now." Ron confided.

"I still feel bad about how I reacted... Bueno Nacho after school, my treat?" Kim offered.

"Sounds perfect KP, we can talk more about this then." Ron accepted with a smile as class began.

Kim sat beside her best friend and tried to concentrate on the class. She had ended her last relationship, with Josh Mankey, just a month ago as he was always so distant and unaffectionate, having Ron as her best friend allowed her to weather these personal storms with a minimum of drama. Ron was always open and caring with her, always there to cheer her up at the drop of a hat. Her mind sorted through what Ron had said... _He loves riding that much? 'Why I do what I do now,' such a simple short phrase, but he said so much in that. Whatever he gets from riding must make him feel good, I never get that out of driving fast, it always makes me nervous... something to talk over with him later. _Kim thought as she refocused on the class, everything could wait until later.

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Lunch was the usual test of intestinal fortitude to Ron, he ate alone enjoying the solitude as he thought of the actions of those around him. He had always felt a special bond with Kim, heck he had wanted to ask her out before but she was always with this or that guy. _Could a relationship with Kim really work? _Since his return from Japan and him introducing his new hobby to her Kim had been distant, he knew she suspected more had happened besides his new hobby, skills had slipped out during battles with various villains... _but you swore on your honour to never tell another living soul!_ He hated keeping Kim out of the loop on part of his life, it had never happened before, even if she had dismissed what he said he had told her about everything. Tara King was another matter altogether... _Even as dim as I am around women I realize Tara has a thing for me and she definitely wants to make a move. _Ron knew that being in the garage with her all afternoon tomorrow would be interesting to say the least... _I know we will be talking about more than motorcycles. _He liked Tara, she treated him well and he liked her attitude, everyone else may have thought 'blonde ditz' but Ron knew there was a lot going on under that pretty exterior.

_What about that woman this morning? All I know about her is that wonderful voice and yet something deep inside wants to know more._

Ron silenced these thoughts and returned to his meal. Kim would get her chance to talk this afternoon later, Tara tomorrow afternoon and the mystery woman would say her piece on Sunday.

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"How did things go earlier with Kim?" Tara asked with a hesitant voice as they chose a station together in Chemistry.

"I'm still in one piece, aren't I? She cooled down a lot, I kinda got her to understand during English and we are meeting at Bueno Nacho after school to talk it over more." Ron admitted, the stress evident in his voice. "After that I'm going for a ride, I want to decompress before the rain comes tomorrow morning."

As they began the lab assignment Tara looked thoughtfully at Ron. "Isn't it funny how riding, pushing it out there on the open road is so relaxing. I mean I take bubble baths and long, hot showers but nothing really makes me feel relaxed like I do when I ride my motorcycle."

"I've never looked at it quite like that Tara, but you are right... after missions Kim will go hang out in her hot tub, I tried it but it just doesn't do anything for me, seems useless just sitting there. When I go out and give the bike a good hard run though I feel refreshed and relaxed." Ron said and took up his own thoughtful pose. "Do you mind if I explain it to Kim this way later? She just might understand this better than anything I come up with."

"Sure Ron, if it helps go ahead. We still on for 1 pm tomorrow, your garage?" Tara asked hopefully with a seductive smile as she moved closer to him.

"Yea... yeah Tara, come dressed for some work though, I want to do a full check on the Ghost, Sunday will be hard on her." Ron stated as he gazed into her beautiful eyes.

Tara just nodded and smiled. "Lets get on with this lab work before we get in trouble."

Ron nodded and they got down to the assignment.

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After the end of classes Kim came out to the parking lot to find Ron leaning on her BMW with his shades on holding his helmet with a smile on his face, not one of his goofy grins but a true smile... Kim couldn't stop herself from admiring her best friend at that moment. _He looks so carefree, so sure of his life and who he is right now... it suits him well. _"Ready for some snackage, biker boy?" She asked affectionately.

Snapped out of his reverie Ron strapped on his backpack and turned to Kim with a smile, "Ready to roll KP, lets jet."

Ron walked over to his silver and white missile as he put on his helmet and reached to start the machine. He heard the purr of his bike in concert with the rip rumble of the straight six in Kim's BMW, it made a beautiful symphony. He mounted the bike and took her off the stand, rolling to the nearest exit with Kim on his taillights.

Ron made the corner out of the school parking lot towards Bueno Nacho and opened the bike up in 1st leaving a 6 foot rubber strip and placing a huge grin on his face as he let up and sped off for the promised snackage... unaware his fun was observed by more than Kim.

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_Took long enough getting out of school. Standing around waiting for that hussy! I wonder if he will ride tonight before the rain comes? _Thought the woman as she sat astride her black Honda.

_Only one way to find out, lets play follow the cheerleader... _she thought with a grin as she gunned her bike after the green Bimmer.

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Kim walked towards the booth that her and Ron claimed as their own with the normal order... 2 Nacos Grande Size with Coke and a salad with water. Ron was discussing something with Wade on her Kimmunicator.

"Wade, I think it's time for you to make me a Kimmunicator of my own, I can self deploy with the Ghost when I am out on rides depending on the location." Ron commented, Kim nodded in agreement.

Wade looked thoughtful for a moment, "Perhaps I can do one better, I'll get you a Communicator of your own that will wirelessly connect to a special helmet I have been working on for you, it's based on the one you use now. Full heads up display on the inside of the visor and voice activated comm links, would that be good enough?"

"Badical! Wade you hurricane rock... one addition though, can you make it link to my Zen Micro for voice commands too?" Ron asked hopefully.

"No problem, I'll have it dropped off at your place tomorrow afternoon with a control module for your Zen too, most of the parts I have here in front of me, won't take long to assemble." Wade replied.

"Thanks a bunch and a half, KP is here with the food, talk to you later Wade." Ron brightened further as he saw the snackage assembled before him.

"Later Ron, have fun with the ride after too." Wade said before braking the connection.

Kim grabbed her salad and water off the tray as she pushed the rest to Ron and took her Kimmunicator back and flipped it into her pocket.

"Hitting Wade up for some upgrades, are we?" Kim inquired as she started in on her salad.

After polishing off half the first Naco Ron looked up, "Yeah, since my rides take me out of town a ways I thought I should have a way for you to get in touch with me if a mission were to pop up."

"That's a great idea Ron," Kim said around a mouthful of salad.

Seconds later as Ron polished off the last of the Nacos and took a long pull on his coke he sighed and looked at Kim.

"I think we need to clear the air between us Kim, about my new skills, about me riding and how you feel about it." Ron led off.

Kim nodded for Ron to continue.

"I know you are curious about some of the combat moves I have been using on missions and the fact that I have improved my physique, both come from my trip to Japan but as to the where and how as I have said before I made a promise on my honour to not reveal where these lessons took place. You know I take my oaths seriously, I ask that you not only respect that but accept my newfound skills and stature without question as a personal favor, please KP can you do this?" Ron asked and then waited for his best friend to respond.

"O.K., I can try to do that for you Ron, you know how hard it is for me to be out of the loop though so give me some patience," Kim asked pulling a partial pout to make it stick, "But, what we have to talk about is you riding. I care deeply about you and it's driving me crazy that you are out risking your neck just riding that motorcycle." Kim gestured to the Ghost. "Ron you know how skittish I get at high speeds, that time we went out and pushed my car I took an hour to come down and stop shaking from that near miss we had, you seem to be able to suppress that and push even harder... you did 165 plus mph on that bike, I can't even imagine that!" Kim finished with a worried look at her one true friend. _I wonder if he even sees how much I care about him, I think about him every day, is this a crush or more?_

"I am not risking my neck KP, Tara and I were discussing this in Chemistry today and she explained it better than I ever could. Riding for me is like a dip in the hot tub for you... pure relaxation. Remember how calm and relaxed I was this morning at your place? I woke up this morning with a pounding headache worried over that test in math today... by the time I finished my ride I was fine and I think I did really well on the test. I don't know if that makes sense but it's how I feel about it and its why I do it. It's fun and it relaxes me, what else does a person need in a hobby?" Ron said reasonably, looking hopefully at Kim with a grin hoping she would understand.

Kim was shocked... _He's right, he walked in this morning, heck every morning since he got the bike, relaxed and ready to hit the day hard. How did I not notice that about him? _"Ron, I am sorry for giving you a hard time over this... I never noticed, I mean I saw the other changes but this one never even occurred to me and it was the most important one. I understand the riding now, the speed and stunts will still make me very nervous but that's something I have to deal with."

"That's ok KP, I'm glad we are square again, it was really bothering me that you were upset about my riding." Ron said with a relieved look on his face.

"I can't believe Tara is riding too, I never imagined that, she seems so timid when we do our routines." Kim admitted to her friend.

"Yeah, I know, but it is nice to have someone else that understands riding like I do around... and helping her learn will be fun, I know it was for the people I learned from in Japan. Tara is coming over to my place tomorrow afternoon around one so we can get my bike all prepped for Sunday, she wants to know more about maintenance and I said I'd teach her all I know." Ron stated.

"You do know Tara like-likes you Ron, right?" Kim told him with a grimace she tried to hide... _and you know I like you that way too, right?_ Kim thought.

"Yeah, when I was sitting at lunch I realized it, she is a nice person Kim... we'll see what happens tomorrow." Ron admitted to his friend as she ate her salad in silence

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After what seemed like an eternity Ron noticed Kim was done with her salad and his eyes sparkled with pleasure... time to ride.

"I know you said no racing today... but do you want to play 'follow the leader' with me?" Ron asked with a grin.

Kim looked at that grin, the freckles and the unkempt blonde hair and couldn't resist... she had to be near him, "Ok, we can do that... where are we going?"

"Oh no, that's not the way it works," Ron stated as he got up grabbed his helmet, flipping on his shades, "In follow the leader you go where I go and try and keep up." Ron was in full grin mode at that point and Kim was entranced by it.

"Ok, lets get it on then Ronnie." Kim said with a sexy smile she hoped he would catch.

The two walked out to their vehicles parked side by side.

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_I know it doesn't take that boy that long to eat! I wonder what they were up to? She isn't going to get her hooks into him before I do! _The thoughts of the mysterious rider were completely random and obsessive as she observed the teens from across the road, astride her black Honda CBR.

_He better be going for a ride, I want some fun with him NOW!_

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As Ron walked to his Ghost in the dimming daylight he reached into the top pocket of his leathers and pulled out one of the earpieces for his Zen Micro, he had loaded it with good riding music including some j-pop, techno and rap with a scattering of pop and oldies. The music brought him up to the edge while he was riding, gave that little burst to his adrenaline rush that let him push the bike faster and harder. He setup his favorite play list and pressed play and pause. He put on his helmet and looked over to Kim, "Are you sure about this? I know you don't do the speed thing."

Kim looked over at him standing astride his bike, her knees felt weak but she couldn't say no to him now, her adrenaline rush combined with her hormonal reaction to Ron was viscous, "Bring it!"

With that Ron slapped down his visor and turned on the bike, Kim already had her car revving and ready to go, Ron slipped his Ghost into gear and made for the exit, Kim on his taillights once again, but this time she wouldn't be there long.

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_So they are both going out for some fun tonight? I get to screw around with her and bag that hunk of a man, after I show him how good I am. _The CBR leapt forward with a will towards the motorbike and coupe as they moved out of town.

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Ron took the quickest route out to the back roads that surrounded Middleton that he knew, every now and then turning to make sure Kim was still there behind him, she seemed to fall back sometimes, nothing could out accelerate a motorbike like the Hayabusa. After a while Ron noticed a familiar black form working its way up behind Kim's BMW... _I thought I told her to wait until Sunday!_

He shook off the thought and returned to thinking about where he wanted to take this ride, Mt. Middleton was at his left, the low rolling hills to his right. Tight twisties with bursts of speed or long flowing roads with big sweeping corners? The intersection was coming up in front of him, left and right the only two choices... _decisions, decisions. I need to clear out the cobwebs... the right it is. _Ron put on his blinker for a right turn and glanced in his mirrors to find that Kim had followed his lead... and that the black sportbike was coming up fast with a right blinker on too.

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As Kim checked her mirrors she saw a black flash go by her left side... the mysterious female had returned it seemed, it looked like the same bike and she stopped right beside Ron, she hit her power window switch fast so she could listen.

Ron could now see the bike she rode was a Honda CBR1100XX, a direct competitor to his own Hayabusa... they called the CBR the Blackbird. Her bike was obviously customized... _green lettering, green stripes... that voice... _Ron suddenly realized who it had to be and got a wide smile on his face. _Dangerous, but fun, if I am right I can't wait for Sunday! _Ron decided to push things as he turned towards her.

"I thought I told you Sunday, if you think you are getting at me today you are outta your mind, my friend and I are out here playing some follow the leader, no racing." Ron growled, letting his anger show in his tone.

The woman on the Blackbird was shocked, this was the young man that always seemed so timid? "No race today sidekick, I just want to play too... lead on hot stuff." She said in a sultry voice as she readied herself for what was to come.

Kim for her part was tweaked, the woman was definitely hitting on Ron and... she called him sidekick! Green and black bike... _Could it be... naw, that's impossible._

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Ron tapped the play button on his Zen Micro and let the music begin as he took off and made the corner, the speed limit out here was always treated with contempt and tonight would be no different. As the opening bars of _Meteor_ began Ron's mind remembered hearing it on that show Gundam SEED while he was in Japan, the song fit perfectly. His Ghost surged forward as he came into the first of many sweepers, it was late spring and the daylight lasted well into the evening, it would not be wasted.

He let his mind drift into that state of pure concentration and bliss he found only when he was on the open road, the bike stayed within the lines but the apexes were always taken as close as possible leaning hard into the curves, the throttle open as he brought the bike over 80 mph for a straight stretch, hugging his body down onto the bodywork of the Hayabusa feeling the air flow over him, draining the stress from his body. As he slowed for one of the few tight corners on the road he looked back to find the Blackbird tucked a respectful distance behind him and Kim's BMW behind that, struggling to keep up.

_I guess I better back it down a bit so Kim can enjoy it a little more rather than fight to keep up with me, hopefully Miss Blackbird won't mind too much._

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Kim was shaken as she pushed her BMW to keep up with the white, silver and black blur that was Ron Stoppable... _I knew I should have made Dad spring for the M3! _She had been doing well enough through the first sweeper following the black bike in front of her, but when Ron had reached the straight bit he had flown away like one of her father's rockets. She knew her car was no slouch, the brakes and suspension had been upgraded but even taking things right to the edge she could barely maintain the distance to the woman in front of her. _I didn't realize how good Ron really is at this, when he rides it's like a dance, graceful and flowing._

That admission made Kim think, Ron didn't really excel at much in life but on that bike he seemed like a savant, all his energy and skill just flowed to the front.

As she braked for the sharp corner Kim realized that Ron had found his calling.

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_Woah, his skills are better than I imagined, the way he clips the corners, almost never uses his brakes but shifts and uses the power to ride. It's like watching water flow... it's like he's been riding and racing for years. I'm in trouble on Sunday. _The rider in black knew her CBR was a wickedly fast bike, but she also knew that speed and handling were worth nothing without skill, and it seemed that Ron Stoppable had skill to spare. She looked back to see if Kimme was still hanging on behind her, finding that she was but only barely, obviously her BMW couldn't keep up... and that explained why he was now backing off as they entered another wide open corner. _Just like the Princess to ruin my fun! Time to step this up a bit..._

The distance between her Blackbird and his Hayabusa rapidly decreased as she poured on the power, leaning into the curve to come alongside the blonde haired target of her affection.

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Over the strains of Cheap Trick he heard the whine of the Blackbird increase behind him... _I guess Miss Blackbird does mind slowing down a bit, oh well..._

As the curve ended and laid out into a long straight run with a few rolling hills Ron decided to shut her down. Tucking closely to the bike Ron twisted the throttle savagely feeling the bike respond, the fuel and air rushing into the engine as his Ghost leapt forward and the speedo needle raced for the far side of the gauge.

_Kim can catch up after I put Shego in her place._

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Shego was shocked, she was just about even with Stoppable when he tucked down and took off like a shot. His bike was pulling away at an amazing rate, as she quickly began to give chase she knew his reaction time had cost her any chance of catching him and trying too hard would be reckless because he was easily able to run at those high speeds much better than she was. Shego found herself backing down for the first time in her life. _Handsome, strong, heart the size of the world, and rides like a demon... Ok, I think this merits more than a roll in the hay._

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_He's gone completely insane! _Kim watched in shock as his bike came out of the corner and just took off... just like a shot. She knew she couldn't match that, just doing what she was she was nervous as she had ever been. Kim for the first time in her life had to back down, she decided to keep moving along, having realized that Ron probably did his Road Runner impression to shut down the woman on the black motorcycle. _Ron will stop and wait for me up the road when she is dealt with. _At that thought Kim's face broke into a smile picturing the unknown woman humiliated by her Ron.

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Ron kept pushing it, he flew through two long sweeping corners popped over a small rise the bike screaming a high note as the Blackbird grew smaller behind him and soon faded from view. _Time to put a stop to this for tonight. _He pulled into an abandoned gas station along the road and shut the Ghost and his Zen off, putting the bike up on it's stand and taking off his helmet as he heard the Honda approach.

Shego saw him standing on the side of the road, arms crossed waiting for her. She slowed and pulled in beside him, killing her engine and looking at him through her dark visor, "So was that a taste of what I can expect on Sunday?" She said with a sarcastic snap. _He looks damned fine standing there like that._

"Yeah, it is Shego... take off that helmet, no sense hiding anymore 'cause I know it's you." Ron glared at the woman beside him.

She was stunned, he had figured it out, she expected to shock him with it on Sunday, she managed to pull the helmet from her head and look shyly at him. "What gave me away?"

"Well between calling me sidekick and the colour scheme on your Blackbird it was obvious. The question I have though is why... what scheme is this a part of?" Ron looked at her intensely.

"No scheme Stoppable, just blowing off steam like you do I assume." Shego placed her helmet on the tank of her bike, put it up on the stand and walked over to Ron. Inside she was a mess of emotions, for someone who put forth such a tough image she often suprised even herself at how some things could affect her so thoroughly. Standing there looking at Ron was doing it again and the adrenaline rush wasn't helping either... _Here goes nothing... _She walked to Ron and kissed him solidly on the lips, she placed a hand on his leather clad butt and another on the back of his head running through that beautiful blonde hair.

Ron's mind was in total shock, no thoughts or actions could be made, he just went on instinct and returned the kiss.

She broke the kiss but still held him, she leaned to his ear and whispered, "That was the best kiss I ever had, too bad we don't have time for a lot more."

The sudden approach of a green BMW cut her short, she let go of a completely stunned Ron and flipped back on her helmet, started her bike and removed it from the stand. She looked over to him, "After we race on Sunday we are gonna have a long talk Stoppable." With that she dropped her visor and roared off down the road.

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Kim couldn't believe her own eyes as she approached, the woman on the black bike was kissing her Ron! It looked like she had her arms around her Ron! As she moved closer, slowing as she came to the abandoned gas station she saw the outline of the other rider pull away from Ron and ride away. She growled as she hauled her car into the parking lot, spraying gravel as she skidded to a stop. She quickly undid her seat belt and ran over to Ron who was still in a daze, black lipstick on his lips and a smile that spoke volumes. _He enjoyed it! Who was this woman?_

"Ron... Ron," Kim spoke to the man before her, he didn't respond in any way, just looked down the road after a bike and rider that were no longer there. _Ok time to snap him out of this._

"RONALD DEAN STOPPABLE, eyes to me this instant!" Kim hated screaming at Ron like his mother did but sometimes it was just too effective to not use.

"Waaah!" Ron was instantly alert and looking around as if surrounded by a thousand rabid monkeys. After a few moments of panic he finally noticed Kim standing in front of him. "Oh KP, it was only you, I thought I had done something again." Ron said with a huge sigh as he moved into his normal posture.

"Who was that?" Kim said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"No clue KP, she had long silky dark hair, soft lips and that voice was way cuter without the helmet on." Ron smiled wistfully hoping these revelations would distract her from noticing the lie, something he knew he did poorly. _No way Kim'll let me go to the track Sunday if she knows it's Shego on that bike!_

Kim didn't know what to do... _get it over with and be sick on the spot or scream bloody blue murder at him! _She wanted to get her hands on that woman and show her a thing or three, a nagging voice in the back of her head told her that Ron had already shown them both a thing or three already.

"I'll deal with her on Sunday, I'm going to get a bike and shut her down myself!" Kim growled.

Inwardly Ron laughed at the statement Kim had just made... _Hmmm, KP with no racing experience against Shego on a bike capable of 190+mph, that's rich! _He knew that she didn't stand a chance but knew that saying that meant he didn't stand a chance... of breathing again.

"Ahhh KP? It's getting dark so maybe we should continue this conversation at your place? This time you can lead, OK?" Ron looked at her, she was massively tweaked, Ron couldn't tell if it was directed at him, the "mysterious" rider or both.

"OK Ron, remember what you said abut this being relaxing? I wish it were true for me. And yes we are continuing this discussion at my house." Kim pivoted on her heels and stomped back to her car, threw open the door and flopped inside.

Ron quickly grabbed his helmet and put it on, starting the music once more as he brought his Ghost to life.

The BMW started with a growl, Kim shoved it into first and rammed her foot down on the accelerator, the tires fought for traction flinging gravel in twin tails as she reached the asphalt and left twin marks of fresh rubber as she moved hard through the gears.

As Ron brought his motorcycle onto the road and sprinted after her one thought was on his mind... _tweaked may be an understatement._

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"So are you interested in this woman?" Kim was sitting on edge of her bed, staring at the target of her question who sat across from her on her desk chair, she had calmed down on the ride home, the last few miles had been done at legal speeds, and hadn't violated any major traffic laws. Kim had gotten the full story on what the woman had done to Ron, but she still felt off about the whole thing... _He's not telling me everything, but why would he lie?_

"KP I don't know her, I don't know her intentions, that kiss could have just been to throw me off my game for Sunday. How could I be interested in something I know nothing about!" Ron stated. _The fact that its Shego is doing **nothing** at all to throw me all by itself._ His mind popped in sarcastically.

"Ok, I'll give you that but I care about you Ron, you have Tara almost throwing herself at you and now this woman grabbing your butt and kissing you! I'm worried for you." She allowed herself to say only that, but inside her mind was screaming at her to tell him they were both unnecessary... _Tell him you care about him, he looks so perfect sitting there in that T-shirt. He's RON, been there for you since pre-k, said you looked pretty when you had braces, would trade his life for yours RON! _Kim forced the thoughts down, remembering that this was her best friend in the world, not something to be risked, friends like Ron were rare.

"Woah there KP, I did not see Tara throwing herself at me, she likes street bikes like I do, she may _like_-like me, we are getting together to discuss motorcycle maintenance tomorrow, nothing like throwing herself at me... Kim, are you jealous?" Ron had finally asked the one question that had bugged him since the confrontation in the hall that morning. _I don't know if I am ready for this answer, but I need to know why everything today is bothering you so badly._

Kim was stunned, he asked if she was jealous, but it wasn't done with a laugh or a goofy grin... his face was dead serious. _I'm crushing, I love him as a friend but is it more than that? Can I take that risk with Ron, can I do everything I do without him if things go horribly wrong?_

"Yes, in a way I am jealous, I'm used to having all the attention of my best friend and now I don't, you have two women after you now and I know if either one of them succeeds we'll be spending less time together... I feel bad too because this is how you must have felt when I was going out with Josh." It felt wrong as she was saying it but she couldn't risk the truth, Kim Possible did feel more than a crush for her best friend Ron Stoppable.

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As Ron started his bike and rode away from the Possible residence a short while later he decided to take the long way home, he needed to remove the stress that was instantly there after having to first lie to Kim and then have her deny any feelings towards him. He knew her confession about being jealous just because she would lose time with him was pure bunk. Having time to think about the relationships in his life he knew Kim had to be feeling something more than friendship for him, the signs were all there now. He knew there was something in his heart for Kim but if she would not acknowledge what she felt inside all hope was lost.

With the Ghost screaming beneath him he pushed into the moonlight, racing the dark clouds intruding on a perfect night to ride.

Kim, Tara, and Shego all floated through his mind, all perfect women in their own ways... he had always wanted someone to love him for him, nothing more, could one of these women do that? Now he had three women wanting his attention and that weighed heavy on his mind, but over these thoughts one old saw came to him... _It never rains it pours._

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_Next:_ Chapter 3: _Hearts, Wrenches, and the Ghost_

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Tara as a rider? Heck yeah!

That bit about a good fast drive being relaxing is something I know first hand. I used to live a ways away from work, and I worked til 1-2 am most days so I'd love cranking up the tunes and just flying home back those long flowing country roads. Nothing better after a long frustrating shift. My muse is being difficult so the updates are coming hard right now. Sorry 'bout that.

I know the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird isn't available for sale in North America (check out the UK Honda web site for details on it), but do you honestly think that would stop Shego from having one!

And as for Kim getting skittish driving at speed I had a friend who could bungee jump and waterski but put her in a car and punch it and she'd freak out, different sensation to some people.

Songs Ron was listening to:

T.M. Revolution - _Meteor_ - "Gundam SEED: Complete Best"

Cheap Trick - _Mighty Wings_ - "Top Gun Soundtrack: Special Extended Edition"


	3. Chapter 3: Romancing The Ghost

AN: Don't own _Kim Possible_, since Disney is making more they can keep her for now. Also don't own Suzuki, Yamaha, Dodge, Chrysler, Schuberth or the lyrics at the end.

Gawd I'm sorry for the delay, this chapter has been giving me pure fits... not really writers block but the fact that I had too many ways to work the scenes and characters within my outline (that and the odd way I write)! Many thanks to those who read and review, I think you will enjoy what I have planned. Oh, and a slight change in the name for this chapter.

Reading recommendations? _Tian Cai_, _The Rook_, and _The Rook II: The Letter_ all by mkusenagi2! All I'm gonna say is one name... **Col. Nicholas J. Fury!**

I've kept you waiting long enough... On with the show, Grande Sized!

* * *

_**Hayabusa**_

Chapter 3: _Romancing The Ghost (formerly: Hearts, Wrenches, and the Ghost)_

Ron awoke feeling refreshed at around 7 AM Saturday morning. The morning after a good ride he always felt better, the thought of this reminded him of Tara and how she was coming over to learn and talk later that day as they got his Ghost ready for the track tomorrow.

Tara was a sweet young woman, very kind, caring and open... _I can't wait to get to know her better._ As he lay there in bed his mind wandered from Tara to Shego and why she seemed to have taken such an intense interest in him all of a sudden. He wasn't suprised she was a rider, working for Drakken would drive anyone to get some freedom and relaxation any way they could, and her choice of bike wasn't too far off the mark either. The Blackbird was a good all around Super Touring bike; agile, fast as the devil himself, but still practical enough for day to day use. In many ways it was a true Honda... exciting, but in a practical way. He knew his Hayabusa was a more rarefied beast, less rider-friendly but more hard hitting... oh well, he had his truck for the other driving he had to do. The kiss had thrown him majorly though, as had the way she groped him, Shego's lips were very soft and the way she kissed... well, _Wow_ was an understatement. Kim's reaction to the kiss was something else altogether.

Kim was obviously jealous. _Well that confirms Kim is interested in me in that way too even if she says otherwise. _Ron just thanked his lucky stars Kim hadn't gotten a good enough look to tell the woman was Shego. _Oh man that would have been bad in many horrible ways._

_Maybe Shego just needs something other than fighting and it figures being a villainess doesn't give her many opportunities to meet guys so I've become an obvious target... that makes some sense. I'll just keep my eyes and ears wide open and see what happens tomorrow, not much else I can do. _

With that decided Ron got out of bed and looked out his window to see the rain had indeed started, with a shrug and a chuckle at his random thoughts he made his way to the bathroom to start the day. He had Temple and a few errands to run before Tara arrived.

-RS-

In a lair on the far side of Mt. Middleton Shego awoke to the rain hammering on her bedroom window. As she went about her morning rituals her mind drifted to thoughts of a particular blonde haired boy... _no Man. _

As she lay in a warm bath her mind ran through all her encounters with Ronald Stoppable, she realized even when he played the buffoon there was something about him. He would always find a way to ruin the most airtight plan even if Princess took all the glory. _He has always been so supportive of Kimmie, I'd enjoy having that in my life. I wonder why she and him never hooked up... maybe she doesn't do the guy/girl thing... whatever, I want Ron all to myself. He's become very well put together lately, and always the gentleman... I bet he'd feel good in bed next to me. _Shego pondered what her next move would be. _He said to stay away from him on the road until Sunday, but I bet he's home prepping his bike for tomorrow. Maybe I'll go see if he needs an assistant, then I can get to know him better. _With that decided she stepped from the bath and proceeded to dress casually for the day in her usual colours, then grabbing her jacket she headed for the hanger and her hovercar.

-RS-

In the shadow of Mt. Middleton another young woman also awoke to the rain crashing down. She awoke early as was her custom, her mind still troubled with thoughts of the night before and her tangled auburn hair lending evidence to the fact her nights sleep had not been peaceful. She regretted her words to her best friend the night before. She had told Ron she wasn't jealous of him in a like-_like _him way... _but it was all a lie, I couldn't do anything I do without him and hearing him talk about Tara and this 'Mystery Woman' is tearing me apart._ Kim knew that sometimes you had to risk some things to get ahead, she didn't want to think of her relationship with Ron as something to gamble with, but there it was. She could play it safe and be miserable, or roll the dice and maybe walk away with the amazing boyfriend she knew Ron could be.

She knew that today was Ron's day with Tara, she knew Tara saw Ron in the same way she did... As a kind, caring, loving man whom any girl would be lucky to be involved with. _I have to know what Tara does, she's my friend too, but I can't let Ron slip away like this!_

As she lay in bed she rolled to one side and saw her mission pack sitting in the corner with some equipment splayed out of it and a plan formed. She sprang from her bed, there was a lot to be done before 1 PM.

-RS-

Tara arrived promptly at one to find Ron placing his bike on a lift, her father had said he wanted to see this bike for himself being as interested in them as much as his daughter was and so had driven her over in the family Toyota. They parked in front of the open Stoppable garage next to Ron's pickup. Ron looked at the new arrivals and waved hello.

"Hi Ron," Tara called as they exited the car and ran into the open doorway.

"Hi Tara," Ron called to the platinum blonde walking into his garage. She was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a well worn blue Yamaha T-shirt with her hair back in a ponytail but to Ron she had never looked more beautiful.

"This is my father Richard, Daddy this is Ron." Tara made her introductions as Ron took off his mechanics gloves and approached Tara's father.

"Nice to meet you Mr. King," Ron said as he extended his hand to her father who accepted it in a firm grasp.

"Please call me Richard, Tara has said so many good things about you Ron so it's nice to finally meet you face to face." He gazed over at the bike on the lift, "So this is a Hayabusa Limited Edition?"

"Yep, the most bon-diggity bike in the Tri-City area is right in front of you." Ron grinned massively, still blushing from the compliment.

After looking the bike over and asking Ron a few questions Richard decided to leave the two kids at it, with a hug for his daughter and another handshake for Ron he left, but not before accepting an invitation for the whole King family to come the track the next day with their daughter.

-RS-

As her father drove away Tara looked around at the Stoppable garage, taking in everything. A large rolling tool chest was on the far wall with a few drawers opened next to a work bench with some bags from the local Pep Boys and the Suzuki dealership. An old couch and a fridge filled the rest of the space along the back wall. The lift was in the middle of the right bay, his folks Chrysler 300 was in the left bay. There was a stack of clean rags on the bench with a slight snoring sound coming from them, Tara guessed that was Rufus. Some music was playing softly, she couldn't recognize the songs or the bands though, but it sounded good. _Something to talk about with him so I can get to know him better._

"Are we ready to get started Ron?" Tara asked seeing Ron putting on a pair of gloves.

"Yeah, almost but there's one thing first and this will begin the lessons," Ron smiled as he walked over to the bags on the bench, "I have a little gift for you."

As Ron handed her a pair of mechanics gloves Tara squealed, "For me? Ron that's so nice, you shouldn't have!"

"You have such soft and pretty hands Tara, couldn't let them be damaged working around all of this, they are yours to keep. A gift from one rider to another." Ron said with a smile. "I hope a small won't be too small."

Tara pulled them onto her hands, they fit perfectly. She looked at Ron standing there in his cargo pants and a black T-shirt advertising something in Japanese wearing gloves like hers, his blonde hair its normal unruly self, and felt comfortable. She felt like this was the way life was meant to be... _Saturday, with Ron, working on his bike_. She couldn't help but feel warm inside at the thought. "Thank you Ron." Tara gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a light hug in thanks.

He blushed brightly, then regained his Ronness.

"Lesson one is protect yourself, time for the next lesson cadet." Ron channeled Mr. Barking for a moment causing Tara to burst into laughter.

"OK, so what's next? What all needs to be done to the Ghost for tomorrow? And how did your ride go last night?" Tara inquired in her rapid fire style as she settled down to work.

-RS-

As they began stripping the cowlings from his 'busa Ron began to explain the previous nights events to his rapt audience, Rufus hadn't heard it all either.

His buddy had gone along on one of the first rides when Ron got home in a backpack as leathers didn't allow for naked mole rat friendly pockets but the experience had left him green instead of his usual glowing pink. So Rufus, being the good friend he is, had decided that riding time was Ron time.

As he showed Tara how to go about removing the cladding on a sport bike and what he checked as he did it Ron explained how the conversation with Kim had gone at Bueno Nacho and then moved on to what had happened with the game of 'Follow The Leader', including who the 'Mysterious Woman' turned out to be.

"So the other rider is Shego? That pale woman who has the fixation on green and black? The one that tries to off you and Kim every time you go after her?" Tara was shocked at the revelation.

"Yep, after I called her out she proceeded to kiss me and grab my backside and hair." Ron said in a casual manner as he removed the ram air ducts.

"Lemme get this right... she kissed and groped you?" The platinum blonde asked, slightly awestruck.

"Yeah, just out of the blue pulled me in and started snogging me... she's a very strong woman." Ron admitted, a little red in the face at the memory.

Tara couldn't help but feel jealous, Shego had the will to grab what she wanted herself. _I wonder what it felt like? He does have the cutest butt and his lips always look sooo soft... and that hair! I just want to run my hands through it over and over!_ Tara soon became lost in space, her mind stuck in a daydream with Ron until the object of her fantasy waved his hand in front of her.

"Ron to Tara, come in!" He said loudly as he tried to rouse her from her thoughts.

She had to shake herself to clear the images from her mind, opening her eyes to find the object of those images nose to nose with her. "Sorry Ron, got caught up in my thoughts there... does Kim know it was Shego?"

"No, and it's going to stay that way until we get to the track tomorrow. If Kim found out she wouldn't let any of this happen and I'm not doing all this just to have some stupid rivalry break it up." Ron stated as he pulled the old spark plugs, checking each one before handing them to Tara to place on a nearby cart.

"If she doesn't know, she must still be tweaked... right? Oh, and what are you looking for on the plugs?" She asked as he removed that last one.

"To see if any coolant is getting into the combustion chambers... it shows as a white deposit, they're all clean... and KP was tweaked, I think she knows I lied about who the rider was. Then again she lied about something last night too." Ron admitted, some edge on the last words.

_She lied to him? Her friend of over 12 years? I shouldn't ask, but I have to know..._ "What do you mean, she lied too?"

Ron scratched the back of his neck and let his head drop to one side, "Weeell... oh yeah, can't forget to check the steering damper oil." He quickly changed topics.

"Ron... spill. Now!" Tara prompted, bringing a deep sigh from the male blonde.

'Well to start," He said as he placed the new plugs in the motor, being careful not to cross the threads, "I spent the whole of lunch yesterday thinking about Kim and yourself and the extra attention you both have been showing me... yes I noticed." He smiled brightly.

Tara was caught, she felt her face get VERY warm suddenly. _He knows, and he looks happy... that's good, but he said he noticed Kim doing the same thing I am... oh no, this might not be good._ "What does this all have to do with Kim lying to you?" She said, struggling, and failing, to keep her voice even.

"Well last night after we got to her place, " He paused to plug in the new plug wires, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, "those are always hard on the knuckles... where was I. Oh yeah... after we got to her place she was pitching a fit about the 'Mystery Woman' and you paying all that attention to me. I called her on it and asked if she was jellin' in a more that friends way."

Tara was very afraid of the answer at this point, but she had to know, her voice trembled slightly. "What did she say?"

"She said she was only jellin' over missing me in a friends kinda way... but I know KP, she was lying through her teeth." Ron spoke in a near neutral voice, not knowing what emotion to feel about the situation.

"Ron, be honest with me, do you want to be with Kim?" It took everything she had to ask that one question, now she waited, biting her lower lip.

He thought for a minute, hands on the air filter of the bike, before he spoke... looking over at his blonde companion, "I don't know. There's a lot of history there, I do love Kim but I'm not sure if its romantic or friend/family. I care a lot about you and Shego too ... I guess I'm too new at this to just make up my mind right here and now... but I will say one thing. Tara you are a kind and caring soul, no matter what happens I want you as a friend first." He finished with a smile and a warm look for his female assistant before speaking again. "Hand me that new air filter, would you? This old one is gorchy." He said before throwing the old one in the trash for an easy three.

Glowing at the praise he had given her and excited that she was on his mind she happily replied, "You got it!"

Over the next half hour Ron showed Tara how to do the regular maintenance on a bike, how to lubricate and check the tension on the drive chain... and except for a short laughing fit brought on by repeated use of the word 'lube', all went very well. He was happy that she was so attentive and was so willing to learn. _Even if I don't end up in a relationship with her I'll still have a great friend, who as a bonus is also into bikes. That's not a bad thing at all._

"What about the tires? Do they have to be changed?" Tara asked as they worked along.

"No, I just put these on less than two weeks ago, Pirelli Diablos... they're better for my aggressive driving style. When your factory tires wear out I'll help you choose your next set, ok?"

Tara smiled, "Thanks Ron. How did you get so smart on everything two-wheeled?"

Ron returned the smile and pointed a thumb at his back, "Well some of the students at our sister school, Yamunuchi, are big into riding... they showed me. This T-shirt is from the school riding club. They call themselves the 'Asphalt Spirits'. Supposedly the guy that came over here... Hara...Hito..."

"... Hirotaka?" Tara offered.

"Yeah, Hirotaka was the club president, by the sounds of it he had his own bike shipped over here so he could use it during his stay." Ron explained.

"Oh yeah, he definitely did, everyone went gaga over him and that bike, well except me," She admitted, "I was thinking about a badical local boy with the looks to put Hirotaka in the weeds." Tara had to smile at the effect her words had on her teacher of the day... grease on his gloves and a blush on his cheeks.

-RS-

_It's funny the things that exist just across the street that you never notice when you have the right incentive to not bother looking. _

Kimberly Anne Possible was pondering this with a quiet smile as she made her way over the fences and through the hedges that made up the backyards on the opposite side of the street. The opposite side from the one she always took, back and forth, to Ron's house. Today she couldn't follow the sidewalks, today she had her own little mission. It wasn't a mission she was used to either, no jumping down to fight the goons, no item to retrieve from the hands of a world wanting screwball.

No, today was a pure intelligence mission, observe and listen, gather information... and most important... Don't. Get. Caught.

-RS-

The hovercraft was hidden behind a corpse of trees across the street from her target, Shego made her way through the trees up to the line of bushes that marked the edge of the roadway at a slow stealthy pace, she knew that the rain would dampen any sharp noises and the wet scrub underfoot would not betray her but now was not a time to take chances. Her plan was set, observe what Ron was up to, walk up and see if she could talk with him, get to know him and let things develop from there. As she approached a particular patch of bushes she had used before to observe the Stoppables she paused... someone was already there, someone with red hair and what her trained fashion sense noted as a Club Banana rain coat... _Possible! Snap, am I gonna have to fight her for EVERYTHING! _Shego looked beyond Kimmie and the bushes to the garage and saw Ron getting close with a platinum blonde girl. _Now there's THREE of us after him! So much for my plan. Always gotta be the hard way._

-RS-

"Wanna get me the 10 mm stubby wrench, buddy?" Ron called to Rufus who was watching the activity from the pile of clean rags on the bench.

Rufus flashed a quick salute and dove into the top cabinet of the tool chest, soon emerging triumphant with the requested tool before skittering across the floor to deliver it to Ron's waiting hand.

Tara observed all this with a wistful smile. _I'd like to do this much more often. _

She reflected on why she was there that day as she observed the interplay between the two friends. It had all been under the context of learning about motorcycles and how to keep them running in tip top shape, but Tara had to admit that important as learning that was more important to her was just interacting with Ron to see if she had a chance with the object of her crush. She had noticed all the good qualities in him... how respectful he was of women, how he always tried to avoid a confrontation and break any tension with a joke... _even if the joke wasn't appropriate! _Then came the incident at Wannaweep, no one had ever seen the 'mission' side of Ron before except for Kim and because of that it was like seeing a completely different person. Constant fear became utter determination, he had saved them all and then went back to plain old Ron, cracking jokes and stepping back into the shadows. But Tara remembered what he had done, the inner strength he had displayed that day, she had watched him, wanting to make a move and held back by Bonnie. Tara hated the fact that she hadn't had the strength to defy Queen B, her best friend... _no, not really, if she's my best friend why does Bonnie hold me back from someone that might make me happy?_ Unable and unwilling to answer that question she returned her thoughts to her host for the day. In truth though, what really made Ron so appealing and attractive to her heart was his kindness and caring, as she watched Rufus lug the requested tool across the floor she had to smile about that.

His friendship with the naked mole rat openly pronounced his 'never be normal' attitude and his big heart... both qualities Tara loved about him.

Most people found Rufus, and by association Ron's relationship with the little naked mole rat, extremely odd. Tara however realized what was going on. Rufus was an unconditional friend, even Kim didn't share that with Ron and besides she actually found the little guy cute. As Rufus handed his friend the wrench Tara reached over to the little pink rodent and gave him a friendly rub on the head.

Rufus responded by running up her arm and hugging her cheek as he squeaked, "Tara nice!"

"I completely agree Rufus," Ron stated with a wink and grin at the now blushing Tara, "and I'll add the fact she's beautiful any day." Tara responded by blushing hard enough to make her hair look strawberry blonde.

-RS-

"Who knew Ron was that smooth?" Kim wondered aloud as she crouched behind some bushes across the street from the Stoppable residence listening in on the conversation on a large microphone Wade had provided for her missions.

"If the action I got last night was any indication Kimmie, I'd say its natural talent."

Kim whirled around dropping to a fighting stance as she faced the owner of that voice she knew oh so well, "So it was you kissing Ron last night? That cheese addled sneak did lie to me!"

"So you do like guys... and you can the combat Kimmie I'm here for the same reason... scouting the competition." Shego admitted with a hint of snark as she dropped down to a hole in the bushes, crouching next to Kim.

To say Kim was stunned was a severe understatement... _she thought I was a LESBIAN! And she kissed MY RON!_ "For the record I DO like guys and I am so giving you a whuppin' next time we get into it for kissing him."

"It was worth it, Ron nearly melted my socks last night once he got into it." Shego admitted leaving Kim's mouth working like a fish out of water. "So Princess who is the blonde chick in there getting close with Ronnie? And do you got another set of ear buds for that microphone?"

In a complete haze Kim handed her the second set of ear buds, only one thought percolated through her mind... _Speedy is gonna get his sweet butt burned for this!_

-RS-

As Tara regained her normal skin tone she began stroking the naked mole rat's back, leading him to fall asleep on her thigh. She looked up at Ron, "Rufus is your one true friend isn't he?" She saw him begin to object, "I'm not dissing Kim at all, what I mean is that Rufus is closer to you than anyone isn't he? He doesn't judge or argue, he just supports you." Rufus was now snoring in a deep blissful sleep as Tara gazed at his owner with a warm look. _I want that with you too Ron, you admitted you noticed my signals, now it's time to step it up._

He stopped working on the bike and turned to face Tara, looking into her inviting blue eyes, "Yeah, Rufus knows things KP will never know, let alone my parents. Ever since I got my lil' buddy years ago that's the way its been, people like Bon Bon claim they can't hear it but he speaks to me."

"Well I hear him, and I hear you, and what I hear is a very sweet and caring pair of voices." As she spoke her gloved hand reached over and captured Ron's.

He was suprised by the touch, even through the gloves it felt electric, his mind stumbled as it tried to respond, "T-t-thanks Tara, that means a lot to me... normally most girls get kind of freaked by Rufus. No one but Kim usually appreciates him and what he can do. Dogs aren't man's best friend, it's naked mole rats." Ron reached over and rubbed the top of the snoring pink rodent, a smile spread across his face.

Savoring the moment of closeness with Ron, one hand on his, her other hand keeping Rufus from sliding off her leg, Tara smiled brightly at the young man beside her.

Slowly moving his hand from beneath hers Ron moved back to the motorcycle, working the wrench on the drain plug for the crankcase before grabbing the bucket he had nearby for the waste oil. "I'll start this draining then we can relax for a while before putting everything back, ok?" He spoke with a smile.

"Sounds perfect Ron, we don't get to sit and talk enough, just the two of us." _Do I make a move? What will he do? I just know I want more Saturdays like this, a lot more._

-RS-

Kim had kept some things from Ron over the years, after all he was a guy as well as her friend and some things would just be awkweird for him to know as a guy, she never wanted him to be uncomfortable around her, but for some reason knowing Ron had done something similar made her feel disappointed. _Maybe we aren't as good a friends as I thought... but then again maybe its just guy stuff that he knows would embarrass me. Maybe this was a bad idea._ Her face took on a slightly sad look without her even realizing it.

Shego saw the frown form on the red haired heroine's lips and knew Ron's admission had stung her. _Some things are better never known. Princess doesn't seem to understand that even the best of friends don't know EVERYTHING about each other. Yeesh, having twin brothers you'd think she'd have realized that by now. I could use this, get her down more, but she isn't the goal, Ron is. Time to get more information, especially who that blonde girl is._ "Again I ask, who is the blonde chick with the blue eyes?"

"Tara Annette King," Kim said, snapping out of her funk as she concentrated on the action inside the garage, "one of my fellow cheerleaders, a bit of a goody-goody, seems to embarrass easy, kind to a fault, seems to be pure as the driven snow. Biggest thing though is that she just about screams 'I _like_-like Ron' with everything she does. Also owns a bike herself, Yamaha FZsomething. Supposedly the reason she's here today is to learn about maintenance from Ron and talk about motorcycles." Kim snorted as she finished.

"I'm judging by your reaction that's not all you think she's here for." Shego said with an arched eyebrow..

"Yeah... I don't like spying on friends but I won't see Ron hurt." Kim fibbed, hoping Shego wouldn't catch it.

Shego caught the fib, but decided to let it slide. _She didn't react to my comment about competition earlier and now she's obviously hiding how she really feels. Oh the fun I could have with this... but I have a more serious threat to worry about who's in the garage hand in hand with Ron right now!_

Moments passed in silence as the two listened to the conversations from within the garage, both women experiencing a sense of wanting to be in there themselves.

"I have to ask, do you really care about Ron? Or is this some kind of game?" Kim finally asked the question that had been nagging inside her mind.

"Yes, I do care about Ron, as hard as that is for you to believe I really do care. In my line of work I don't meet many good men... don't even get started on the choices. Drakken? He's your fathers age... and that's just creepy. Junior? Oy! He's more high maintenance than I am... metrosexual richboy! Jack Hench? I need to wash my hands even if I just talk with the guy he's so greasy."

"What about Ed?" Kim asked, not thinking.

"Princess I said we wouldn't fight and then you go and say something to insult me... I'd never, EVER give even a first thought to Ed... I don't like metal music, I don't like being called a 'green babe' and I DON'T LIKE MULLETS!" Shego finished with a harsh rasp in Kim's ear.

"Ok, I get the point. Ron must look really good to you." Kim admitted reluctantly.

"Yep," Shego said casually, her eyes locked on the activity in the garage, "he cooks, he's kind, his kisses are like a gift from the gods..."

"... he has the eating habits of a wild boar, can't keep his room clean to save his life, no fashion sense outside his riding gear... he's not perfect you know." Kim put forth, both to make sure Shego didn't see everything about Ron with rose coloured glasses and to possibly put her off the Ron Train.

"Oh, I know he's far from perfect, this isn't the first time I've watched him. But ever since he returned from Japan... and no, I don't know anything about what happened over there either and yes it bugs me too... the rough edges have gotten smoother. He's just a good all 'round guy, and that's special to me."

"Honest question time then, is what you are feeling for Ron love or loneliness?" Kim asked her opposite number as she listened in on two of her friends.

"Just pay attention to what's going on inside Princess!" Shego growled as she returned her attention to the activities in the Stoppable garage. Her mind was a different story, she'd never admit it, even on her deathbed, but Kimmie's question had struck a nerve. _Is it just a lack of decent options?_

-RS-

Ron removed his gloves and gently lifted Rufus from Tara's thigh carrying him over to the pile of clean rags so that he could get another part of his 20 hours of daily sleep. Behind him Tara took off her gloves and moved to the couch, curling up next to the armrest facing the rest of the couch and a particular spot she hoped would soon be occupied with the blonde gentleman that was her host. Moving back to the old sofa Ron grabbed a pair of Dr. Peppers from the fridge and gave one to his lady companion, "I don't have any diet, I hope that's ok." He said as he dropped into the worn cushions beside her.

Tara's mind squealed with joy as Ron sat right next to her, his legs touching her own, his body turned to almost face her, his body language showing he was totally open to her. _I hope I'm not moving too fast! I don't want to mess this up!_

"Not a problem, I really don't like diet any ways." Tara said with a smile. _Time for him to get to know the real me, even if it starts out small._

Ron got a very curious look on his face right away, "Umm, correct me if I'm wrong but every time the cheer squad goes out you always order diet."

"That's right, but it's only because the other cheerleaders would give me the devil for ordering anything BUT diet!" Tara said through a giggle.

Ron had to laugh at that, "Well I'm glad you can be honest with me Tara, that means a lot."

"You have no idea what it means to me Ron, knowing you won't judge everything I do." Tara said softy as she leaned over and let her head rest on his shoulder.

_Booyah! I was right about how she feels! Do I do the arm thing though? This isn't a movie... go with your gut! _Ron gave in to the moment and dropped his arm around Tara in a hug, giving her a gentle squeeze. He was rewarded with Tara snuggling closer to him and letting out a contented sigh.

-RS-

As the two blonde teens settled into each other Tara found herself humming along with the music between sips of the soda. "I've never heard this song before Ron, what is it?"

"A group called Blue Rodeo," he listened for a moment, catching the tune, "this is English Bay. Good song, I like nice peaceful music like this when I'm out here working."

"Ron?" Tara wanted his attention. She was nervous, but she wanted to know how he felt about her.

"Yes Tara?" He said as he gazed down into her sparkling blue eyes.

"I... Well I..." She began but was cut off by the arrival of a robot of some sort. Turning in frustration she saw it was a box about 2 foot square with treads underneath of it and a view screen on top along with two manipulator arms.

"Hey Ron, Tara, nice to see you!" Came a voice Tara recognized as Wade Load.

"Hi Wade." They both called to the image on the screen.

One of the mechanical arms reached back into the body of the unit and came out with a good sized box which was placed in Ron's lap. "As promised some new equipment for the other half of Team Possible!"

"Booyah! You are the man Wade!" Ron said as he opened the box and dug through the newspaper the boy genius had used as packing.

Tara couldn't help but smile despite the interruption as bits of paper flew everywhere and Rufus scampered around to collect them, chittering angrily at his master's bad habits.

Ron realized the only thing in the box was a large black bag marked with the name 'Schuberth'. Opening the bag he found a jet black C2 flip up helmet emblazoned with a falcon that clutched a glowing blue katana in it's claw with a great snow capped mountain as a backdrop. Hefting the helmet and examining it he marveled at the work his friend had done.

Tara was stunned, she knew of the headgear made by Schuberth, she had lusted over this very model herself but found the 500 dollar price tag far too much. _I guess the boy genius works only with the best. _"That is one amazing helmet, and the design is so stunning... does it signify anything?"

To her surprise it was Ron that answered in a hushed tone, "It portrays a weapon of great power, an ancient sword forged from a metal not seen in many centuries. It can only be wielded by the true master of the ancient mystical powers of light..." Ron paused, shook his head and continued in his usual goofy tone, "and the bird is a peregrine falcon, which in Japanese is a Hayabusa! Wade, buddy this is far too much!"

"No it isn't Ron, you deserved all this good stuff a long time ago. Besides you haven't seen the enhancements I've made or the rest of the goodies yet, put the helmet on and Tara dig around in the side pocket of the carry bag, there is another special gift in there." Wade spoke with a chuckle in his voice, happy that his inventions could bring people such enjoyment.

Flipping up the front of the helmet Ron proceeded to plunk it on his head, adjusting the chin strap and working the release a few times to insure it was working well. He wasn't suprised to find the fit perfect, Wade was a perfectionist after all.

"Is this what I'm looking for?" Tara held up a metallic object about four inches wide by three long and only three quarters of an inch thick, it was jet black to match the helmet with a set of glowing blue buttons on the one side. _Wow, snazzy! It looks better than the one Kim totes around! _She couldn't help but think.

Wade nodded over the vidlink on the robot, "That's the Communicator Mark 2, flip-phone style design, high speed datalinks, full voice commands via your helmet and a built in music player with twice the capacity of your Zen, so you don't have to carry both."

"Coolio! Again this is far and away too much Wade!" Ron said with a massive grin.

"Nope it isn't, final word... and as the saying goes 'But wait, there's more!'... flip down the front of the helmet and press the button marked 'sync' on the side of the Communicator." Wade commanded, as he reached for his soda.

Ron did as asked, after locking down the front of the helmet he took the offered device from Tara and pressed the glowing button. Instantly the image of Wade sucking on the straw of a giant bladder buster cup was visible on the inside of the visor, he could hear the teen genius clicking with his mouse in his ears.

"This is sooo badical! Tara I can see and hear Wade inside the helmet!" Ron cried out, the amazement and joy evident in his voice.

The blonde haired young woman was taken slightly aback, she knew that Wade was good with technology, but this was beyond the cutting edge. _People say Ron doesn't get the cool gear Kim does? Yeah, ri-i-ight!_ Her mind offered sarcastically.

"It gets better Ron! I wanted to be able to see where you went or was if you were on a mission using the Ghost, so I placed a small video camera in with the top vent of the helmet. It's something I just finished and it only added ounces to the weight, which I cut down even more by replacing some bits with advanced synthetics and composites. That helmet you have on is probably the most advanced in the world... I only hope it can handle the 'Ron-factor'!"

"So there's a really small video camera in there?" Tara asked, shock in her voice as she looked at the top of the helmet.

"It's more than just a small video camera, it's a small High Definition video camera... and tomorrow at the track we are going to give it a real test. You know those insane vids from all over the web of people blasting through towns on sportbikes?" Seeing the two teens nod he continued. "Tomorrow at the track we are going to make some movies that will make them all seem slow in comparison!" Wade was so happy he was practically dancing in his chair, his soda momentarily forgotten.

"BOOYAH! I can't wait to do that tomorrow... how do the voice commands work buddy?" Ron was seriously pumped at this point and Tara could feel the excitement in the air.

"Basically anything you say that's prefaced by 'C3' will be a command, and it's linked to your speech so nobody else can gain control. 'C3 Music' will take you into the music player commands for example." Wade explained.

"Sounds simple enough, can I test it?' Ron asked, Tara just looked on excitedly.

"Sure can! Try calling Kim, it's number two on the auto call. I'm one, your unit is now number three." Wade offered with a smile.

"Ok... C3, Call Unit Two." Ron spoke aloud into the voice command system.

-RS-

Both Shego and Kim were amazed at the technology being displayed in the garage across from them. It distracted them enough they did not see the logical conclusion of Wade's demonstration until it was far too late.

Kim felt her Kimmunicator vibrate in its pouch on her hip. "Uh Oh!"

"Turn it off, pull the batteries, do something!" Shego cried.

"Too late." Kim said, hearing the conversation in the garage through her earpiece. _I am soooo busted._

-RS-

_It's beeping but she's not picking up... I might be paranoid, but better safe than sorry._ "Wade, run a location for Kim, she's not picking up."

As the young genius quickly ran the trace Ron took off the helmet and flipped the Communicator off 'sync' mode, snapping it open to find Wade's image waiting on it's screen with an odd look on his face. "Ron, the signal is coming from right across the street from you."

"Huh? Are you sure of that buddy? I mean her house is right down the street you could be off by a bit." Ron said, sounding doubtful.

Wade snorted, "When have I ever been wrong about something like this Ron? Besides I used your Communicator and the Wadebot to triangulate, she's behind that hedge on the other side of the road... I even have her biosigns from the Kimmunicator."

_Never doubt Wade... but if she is over there, why? She wouldn't... come on Ron, she is a bit of a control freak._ A frown formed on his usually happy face, a frown that soon turned to a scowl. Tara's face matched his as she reached the same conclusions he had.

"KIM, get out of that hedge and get over here!" Came the suddenly very loud bellow from the throat of Ron Stoppable.

-RS-

"Snap! Didn't you think to leave that at home?" Shego snarled as she got to her knees.

"No, and where are you going?" Kim said, her voice revealing only a bit of the panic she felt.

"To face the music Princess. What else can we do if we want him to talk to us again?" With that Shego stood and made to leap over the hedge.

Kim sighed heavily and realized Shego was right, quickly gathering her gear and standing she jumped the hedge just before Shego could.

-RS-

Tara, Rufus, Ron and the observing Wade were suprised when the expected flash of red hair was accompanied by a flash of jet black hair as the two women vaulted the hedge and stood on the opposite curb.

Seeing the two women Ron's anger flared, he felt the power within him grow, feeding off the emotions. His voice became a loud feral growl. "SHEGO, KIM! Get over here this instant!"

-RS-

Kim wasn't feeling too good as she checked both ways and proceeded across the street with Shego on her heels. She hadn't seen Ron _angry_-angry many times before but she knew when pushed he had a fierce temper and was capable of reaming someone worse than a stereotypical Drill Instructor. By the stone serious look on his face Sgt. Stoppable was in charge, and Tara didn't look to happy either. She only hoped she could count the two of them as friends after all was said and done.

Shego could see her co-spy was on edge, and truth be told she was as well... Stoppable looked furious, she decided she most definitely liked goofy better. By a long shot. He stood in the middle of the open garage door, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a look of menace across his face, Shego could also swear she saw a blue sheen in his eyes. The girl she now knew as Tara wasn't much better. _Why did I think spying on him was such a good idea?_

Ron watched the two of them march in step up his short driveway, as they made the entrance of the garage he moved aside and pointed with a harsh jab at the back of the space, "Both of you, on the couch!"

_Definitely a blue tinge to those brown eyes. I didn't know he had it in him to get this mad. _Shego thought she moved quickly to comply with his command.

As the two sat back stiffly on the old couch they saw Ron stalk back towards them taking deep breaths, his arms crossed in front of his chest with Tara a step behind looking just as menacing.

"Ron, Tara I just want to say..." Kim began...

"... Kimberly, this redefines wrongsick! I'm trying to have a relaxing day here with Tara and I can't even have that without some kind of weirdness? I can't believe you'd snoop on your best friend!" Ron cut her off, not really wanting to hear what she had to say at that moment. _I know things have to go her way but this is pushing it a bit much._

The teen heroine could only sit in shock as her possibly once best friend continued to rant at her. _Ron's using my full first name... that never happens, Kim sometimes when he's annoyed or wants my attention... but never the full Kimberly. What possessed me to spy on him, I feel like I violated his trust._

Shego decided she had to say something, "Don't get your boxers in a knot Ronnie, Princess and I were just looking in on you and Blondie there... how many times has 'Team Possible' looked in on me over the years... I dunno... hundreds of times!"

"That's business Shego, you know if you do something we'll be there, different sitch altogether." Kim huffed.

"Blondie!" Tara growled, clearly not pleased with her new pet name.

"No big Tara, Shego gives them to everyone... I'm Princess or Kimmie, Ron's Buffoon or Stoppable and..." Shego and Ron now had her fixed with withering gazes, "... I'll just be quiet for now." Kim finished, meekly sitting back on the couch.

"Shego, I thought I made it clear last night. No touchy the Ronnie til tomorrow!" He growled at the green skinned woman.

"I know, but I wanted to come see if you needed help, then I found Princess over there in the hedge and found out you already had help and well when in the hedge do as the hedgehog." Shego threw a wicked smirk at Kim.

"Why you green witch!" Kim roared and made to come off the couch, but surprisingly a blue-eyed blonde stopped her.

"Kim, this is neither the time nor the place... chill!" Spoke Tara in a tone that allowed no room for argument.

Shocked at the outburst from her normally timid fellow cheerleader Kim took a moment to compose herself before speaking to Ron, "I know now what I did was wrong. Tara, Ron I'm sorry about what I did to you both. I should have had more faith in the two of you and I should have spoken up sooner to you Ron about how I feel." _I need to make him see, understand how much I want to be the one for him. I've got no beef with Tara but I know Ron and I could be good together._

Shego didn't quite understand the meaning of Kim's words and only responded with a cocked eyebrow. Tara on the other hand knew full well what Kim had on her mind when she spoke those words and responded with a frown.

Ron stood back and glared at the two women, his anger had abated slightly, but he was still tweaked that they'd both violate his privacy like that. _Kim and Shego are both so controlling they just don't see it like that I guess. To them it's looking out for something they have interest in, making sure it's... I'm... safe._ Thinking about it in that perspective bled off more of his lingering anger.

Kim knew that if she wanted to salvage this day and still walk away with Ron as more than her best friend forever she had to get him alone, even if all he did was completely ream her. _Take the punishment and move on with the mission, you know he can't stay mad at you long, he always comes around. I have to move quickly though, he won't keep us here much longer._

"Ron, can I talk to you with a bit more privacy?" Kim asked with a sheepish expression on her face.

Ok Kim, walk with me." He said in a stern tone as he walked towards the front of the garage leaving the redhead to follow and Shego and Tara looking at each other nervously.

-RS-

As Ron spoke to Kim about her actions at the front of the garage Tara took the opportunity to sit next to the green hued villainess, "So, you grabbed some of Ron last night and snuck a kiss."

"Yeah, what about it Blondie?" Shego asked in her usual abrupt manner.

Tara took a deep breath before speaking in a confident voice, "Well, what was it like? How good is he and how tight is that butt?"

Shego was shocked. _I thought Kimmie said this one was all angelic and pure... guess Princess doesn't know it all! _Not allowing her surprise to show she decided to dish back and see how the young lady handled herself. "It's tight enough, and well shaped too. As for the kiss? Ron's got guys twice his age beat already. The things that man did with his tongue once he got going..." Shego's mental control slipped as she allowed the memory of the kiss to flood her mind, her normally mint coloured cheeks took on a scarlet tone, causing the girl next to her to giggle.

"Sounds like you had fun... hopefully I get a chance to do the same." Tara delivered the words in a cool voice, realizing that Shego was trying to play her.

Shego for once in her life didn't have a quip to answer with. _Was Kimmie ever off base on this one!_

She was saved from the embarrassing silence by a loud yell from Ron, "Shego! Time for you and Kim to leave, my guest and I would like to enjoy the rest of the afternoon together. Isn't that right Tara?"

"Sounds bon-diggety Ron!" Tara chirped, much to the chagrin of Kim and Shego.

Quickly standing and moving to the front of the garage Shego heard Kim promise to call Ron later and then apologize to both him and Tara again before moving out of the garage and down the street.

"I'm sorry about how all this went down too Ron," Shego said as she stopped in front of him. The blue glow was gone from his eyes but he still looked angry, even betrayed. "It seemed like a good idea at the time but it was wrong to violate your privacy, we still on for tomorrow?"

Ron sighed and nodded his head, "Everyone makes mistakes, and not racing you tomorrow would be punishing me as much as you, we're still on. I'll probably be getting there early to make sure everything is worked out."

"Ok, see you tomorrow... nice meeting you Tara, wish it could have been under better circumstances." Shego said as she left the garage.

"Likewise!" Tara called to the green skinned woman, earning a wave before the form leapt the hedge and disappeared.

"Once again you live up to your motto, 'Never Be Normal'!" Came the voice of Wade from his mechanical avatar. All Ron, Tara and Rufus could do was laugh.

-RS-

With the departure of the two snoops and the Wadebot Ron decided it was time to start putting everything back together and Tara agreed. She had learned a lot from Ron on how a bike is put together and how to keep one running safely. _He was so patient and kind, I know I can be a klutz sometimes but that never seems to matter to him, he just enjoys my company and being able to share his hobby. I can't wait to get out riding with Ron._

"Well aside from the interruption I hope I've been educational today." Ron said with a goofy grin as he finished pouring fresh synthetic oil in the crankcase of his bike.

"You definitely were, maybe we can make this a regular thing, we could do the maintenance on our bikes together?" Tara suggested, trying and failing not to sound too hopeful. _Please say yes, I had too much of a good time today even with Kim and Shego dropping by._

Ron smiled, he had been thinking the same thing for a while now, but afraid of what her reaction would be, "That sounds like a bon-diggety idea Tara, we can work on 'em then go out for a ride after when the weather agrees."

Tara couldn't help herself, as soon as he had put down the bottle of oil she was on him delivering a crushing hug and then following it up with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Ron!"

"B-b-Booyah!" Ron mumbled as his mind slipped into neutral. His trademark goody grin at it's goofiest plastered across his visage.

She was overjoyed she could have that kind of effect on him and giggled at the look on his freckled face. "Oh Rooon! what do we have to do next?"

Ron shook his head, coming back to reality in the process, "All we have left is to put the panels and cowlings back on and we're done!"

"Well lets hurry up then, I'd enjoy spending some more time with you on that couch this afternoon." Tara said as she let her half lidded eyes gaze into the brown orbs of her host. _Whoops, might have overdone it there... I didn't mean it quite that way... well not now... maybe a few months? Bad girl Tara!_

Completely missing her unintended meaning Ron smiled, "I'd enjoy that too Tara... hand me that cowling, would you?"

Breathing a hidden sigh of relief she handed over the body panel, holding it in place for him to fasten as she smiled at her good fortune. _Good thing he's still a bit oblivious around us girls, I didn't want to put him in hormone overload... yet._

-RS-

Looking at the clock on the wall Ron realized it was quickly approaching 6 PM. _Funny that my stomach hasn't spoken up, I just feel so at peace here talking with Tara. _Shifting on the couch slightly he turned to face her, "So when are you expected back home, I just noticed how late it is."

"I told my folks to expect me when they see me tonight, but my curfew is 10." Just then she heard the rumble of her own stomach joined by a matching rumble from his.

Ron had to laugh at this, "Two great minds... well stomachs... think alike, may I treat you to some fine Bueno Nacho?" He stood up and extended his hand to her in a gallant manner.

Taking his hand she let him pull her from the worn leather of the couch, "That sounds spankin' Ron, but can we do drive thru and eat in your truck? I think we got a little dirty to be sitting down anywhere." Tara giggled.

Looking at the grease and oil smudges on her shirt and then pulling his own shirt up in front of his face to see similar marks he nodded agreement. "Yeah that's a good idea. Won't be the first time."

As he pulled up his shirt to look at it Tara caught a glimpse of his toned torso. _Wow! I want to cuddle up with him sooo bad right now, he'd be so much better than one of my stuffed animals._ A deep blush covered Tara's face as her blue eyes glossed over.

"C'mon buddy, Naco's await!" Ron called. Rufus needed no further prompting, coming like a pink blur from the bench where he had been resting and diving into his usual mobile home in a cargo pocket.

First locking up the garage Ron then led her to the passenger door of the big Dodge, opened it for her and helped her inside. She hadn't expected that, wasn't used to it, but wanted it more often now that she had a taste. _Ron has always had such good manners, even though everyone treats him badly he still will hold the door or offer a hand up, how did I not notice all this earlier?_

As she settled into the leather she noticed the armrest in the center of the seat could be flipped up.

Ron hustled around the nose of the big half ton trying to stay as dry as possible and failing as he flung the door open and hopped behind the wheel and was surprised to find Tara sitting in the middle, right up against him. _Well booyah for bench seats!_

"Comfy?" He asked as he brought his seat belt down from the side of the seat, brushing his hand along her upper leg in the process. He felt an electric jolt at the contact, to him the jeans were just the right amount of tight on her shapely legs. Again visions of Tara in racing leathers surged through his mind. _Tomorrow, I'll get to see that tomorrow, calm down!_

Blushing at his touch Tara responded in an uneven voice, "Yes... I hope you don't mind me taking the middle."

"Not at all, in fact I'm glad you did." He said with a warm smile. "I couldn't think of anyone else I'd want sitting next to me right now."

Again Tara felt her face warm and she knew she was blushing again. _If this keeps up it'll be permanent! _She put her head over onto his shoulder, duplicating their positions from the couch. She saw Rufus scamper from his pocket and smile up at his master before looking at her and hopping to her leg and settling in much like he had earlier. "I guess all three of us are comfortable then!" She said with a giggle.

With a rumble the hemispherical head V-8 came to life and Ron guided the truck out towards the much needed Naco's, a blonde haired angel snuggled into his free arm.

-RS-

Tara suprised Ron by also wanting her Naco Grande sized, something she also admitted never happened due to peer pressure. _I guess I never realized how hard my 'Never Be Normal' motto is to live up to. I do it everyday and take my lumps for it but some people 'go along to get along' and end up not enjoying life near as much as they could._

"You know I'll never judge anything you do as long as it makes you happy, right?" He said between bites of his Naco.

"Yeah, it made today special... I enjoy Nacos sooo much but if I go to order them when I'm out with Bonnie or the squad it's like I committed a cardinal sin. The worst thing is I have a metabolism that's a lot like yours, I can eat this stuff all day and not gain a pound." Tara smiled as she admitted that, not even Bonnie knew she could eat enough for a family and still look slim. Her smile broadened as she watched Rufus sitting on the dash devour a Naco in three huge bites. "But in terms of eating speed I don't think I can keep up with you and Rufus!" _This is so much like one of my dreams it's like having deja vu... I wonder if the kiss will be as good? Wait, who says he's going to kiss me!_

"Not many can." Ron said before polishing off his second Naco. "I'm glad you were able to come over today Tara, I really enjoyed being able to share my hobby with you. Just being able to sit back and talk, just be myself, was badical." Leaning back in the seat he took a long pull on his soda.

Tossing the last wrapper in the now empty bag Tara settled back against Ron as she wiped her hands with a wet nap, "I feel the same, I hope you know how much I like being around you."

"Like I said earlier, I spent the whole lunch period yesterday thinking about nothing but. More than anything though the fact that you're defying Bonnie and the 'Food Chain' to show me how you feel really proves how deep the emotions run." Ron admitted as he placed an arm around her and felt her snuggle into his side in response.

Tara frowned as she thought about her 'best friend', "I wonder how good a friend Bonnie really is to me. You know when I started looking at you differently?"

Ron shook his head in the negative.

"Just after the incident at Wannaweep. In the end you stood up for all of us and won. After that I started watching you, catching how good your manners are, enjoying your bon-diggety cooking and more than anything else just watching you be you. But I let Bonnie hold down what I feel for you." She admitted, feeling a bit ashamed.

"What changed?" A very curious Ron asked.

"Well, when you left for Japan I realized that you could leave at anytime and it might not be temporary. I spent the whole time you were gone going over how I felt and I decided I wouldn't let anything stand in my way. I just had to let you know how I felt... since all the rest of the girls were swooning over Hirotaka I got to have a lot of time to myself. I hope you understand how I feel about you Ron." Tara explained as she looked away from him.

Turning her face towards his own and pulling her chin up he locked eyes with her, "I understand completely Tara, and you're one of the bravest women I know to say that."

As his words washed over her in a warm wave Tara decided she would never have a better chance, she leaned in and captured his lips with her own. After a split second of something approaching panic from Ron she felt him relax and begin to return her affection. She had dreamt of kissing him so many times and none of them felt as good as the real thing, his lips were softer, the taste of the Tex-Mex on his lips was even spicier... it all added up to make a kiss Tara King would never forget. Both pulled back at the same time, breathless.

"Booooyaaaah." Came the soft whisper from both blonde teens.

"We should be getting home, I remember something about Kim calling you later and you need a good nights sleep to be in the right shape for racing tomorrow." Tara said after a moment, her voice sounding a little sore at the mention of her cheerleading captain.

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that conversation." Ron said, a sad look on his face.

Seeing that look almost broke Tara's heart, "Don't worry, it'll work out in the end, she can't resist the Ron." _And neither can I._

He chuckled and leaned towards her, the arm he had around her tightening slightly in an affectionate squeeze.

-RS-

Two different sets of green eyes noticed the truck, both recognized the occupants. One set watched from a familiar booth, wanting to be close to a part of him if she couldn't have him to herself. The other set watched from across the street enjoying his creation also wanting to be a bit closer to him. Both saw the two blondes embrace, they saw the lips of one meet the other and the male of the two accept. Both sets of green eyes soon shimmered with unshed tears.

-RS-

After dropping Tara off at her place with a hug and another short kiss Ron arrived home in the middle of a cloudburst. The run from the truck to his front door had left him soaked to the bone, he could feel Rufus shivering in his pocket from the cold rain. He had wanted to tell his folks about the extra people due to arrive at the track tomorrow but once she saw him dripping across the floor his mother ordered him up to his room to change. Stripping out of his wet clothes he changed into a pair of board shorts and collapsed onto his bed as Rufus made a flying dive for his nest, seeking the warmth of his blankets. Raising his head to his night stand he saw that he had a few missed calls... all from the house of one James T. Possible. _Hmmm, tweaked or worried?_

After assuring his mother that he wouldn't catch his death from a cold and informing her about the additions for the next day he settled in and tried to relax before he called Kim. He caught himself almost falling asleep. _Better make this call before I meet the sandman, I'd never hear the end of it if I drift off._

Picking up the portable he made his way back to the bed and as he flopped down he pressed the first speedial.

"Ron?" The voice on the other end answered after only one ring. _Nice to know she cares that much._

"Hey KP." He replied, trying not to let the fatigue show in his voice.

"Where have you been? I've called like four times, I figured you'd be home about an hour ago." Came the reply from the redhead.

_Hold up... she sounds worried, not tweaked. That's not what I expected. Maybe I scared her a bit too much earlier. I didn't want to lean on her that hard when I got her semi-alone like that but snooping around on me like that is wrong, all she would've had to do is show up. Sure Tara wouldn't have liked it, but it would have been the right thing to do. Is that what I wanted to happen though? If she'd have come by I never would have learned how Tara felt... there's no perfect version of what happened today. Better play this cool._

"Sha, no worries. Tara and I lost track of time chattin' it up and then we hit BN for some badical snackage. Sat out in the truck and ate due to the grease and oil spillage on the clothes." Came the Ronnish reply.

_I know you did Ron, but somehow me admitting that wouldn't help things right now no matter how accidental it was. All that Naco did was make me think of you even more and now the thought that I may have lost you... no, don't buy trouble, you only saw a little peck... on the lips, nothing more._

"If you don't mind me asking, where are things between you and Tara?" Kim asked with a tremble in her tone betraying the effort it took to ask the seemingly simple question.

Ron realized what that hitch in her voice meant, he had heard it earlier with Tara and only knew what it meant after she had asked a question about himself and Kim._ She's afraid of the answer, I never saw her hesitate once whenever we go into a lair but this one question has her scared. I was right last night, she didn't speak the truth. Calling it a lie wasn't right though, more than likely she just doesn't want to risk what we took so long to build. Do I want to take that risk? Another question I don't have an answer for. _"First and foremost she's my friend, just like you are, and just like you she holds a place in my heart. You know that no matter what I've got your back." Ron spoke with determination, he did not want her to get any ideas, he knew she could be quick to jump to conclusions.

The answer stilled her fears, but the kiss nagged at her. _Am I too late?_ "What about beyond friends?"

She could hear his sigh over the phone at her question, "In that area it's pure confusion, I have Tara, Shego and you mixed in that area KP. I want you to know Tara kissed me earlier this evening. I returned the kiss but I'm not sure if that means that I want to be with her... all I could think about right after was three of you again. You probably didn't want to hear that but I have to say it to someone."

Kim had to chuckle at that statement, "Well as your best friend forever I have to admire the sitch you've managed to get yourself into... but as someone that cares about you as more than a friend I'm feeling worried. I do want to be more than friends with you Ron, I know what I said last night was a lie and I know what I did today was wrong but I did both out of fear. First fear of losing what we have now, second in fear of losing what we could have." She took a deep breath, it had come out all in one burst.

"I know, that's why I'm not really mad about what happened today. Tara you might need to do some apologizing to though. I knew you were avoiding the truth last night in your room too. We've been around each other too much to hide much, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that the 'mystery woman' was Shego. That was wrong of me."

"We both made mistakes in the last 24 hours Ron, best we can do is learn from them." He heard her flop back onto her bed over the phone line. "So where do we go from here? Do you have any idea what you're gonna do?" _Or who you'll go out with? _Kim had left that part out, but Ron heard it clear as if she were right there with him.

"Tomorrow I'm going to ride, and I'm going to race and it will clear my mind. Then I'll start thinking about where to go next. You'll always be my best friend KP, I want to make sure you know that. I feel bad about harshing on you earlier. I wouldn't be who I am without you." Ron spoke into the phone, wishing that he was there so he could hold her soft hands and look into her emerald orbs, to let her feel the meaning in his words.

If he could have seen the face on the other end of the phone line he would have known it just wasn't necessary, small tears shimmered in those emerald orbs as she let his words embrace her. At that moment she knew everything would be ok even if she wasn't the one he held in his arms because he would always be there for her and always want her to be there for him. _No matter where we go, what we do, or even who we are with, there will always be an 'us', somehow that makes me happy. _For the first time since the day before a smile graced the facial features of Kim Possible.

They spoke for a while longer, discussing details of the day to come. Kim said that she might be delayed a bit by heading to church but that her family would be there and that they were all looking forward to it, her mother was almost giddy to get on a motorcycle again. Hearing this Ron couldn't help but laugh. He understood why they might be late and said he'd hold off his race with Shego until after everyone was there.

Soon they both decided the time had come to end the call.

"G'night KP, sweet dreams." Said Ron, stretching in anticipation of sleep.

"I'll dream of your arms Ron, I have before but it always made me scared to lose you, it won't tonight. I want you to know that." Kim said in a soft voice, not wanting to hide the truth from him.

"You could never lose me KP, not even in your wildest dreams." Ron spoke just above a whisper.

Kim let out a contented sigh as she let his words sink in, "Goodnight Ron, see you tomorrow." _He's soo lucky he isn't here, I might have given Daddy a reason to send him to that black hole._

-RS-

As he heard the line disconnect Ron got up from his bed and placed the phone back in the cradle before beginning to pace the length of his room.

"All I wished for is one woman to understand me, to care about me and I ended up with all this." Ron moaned, not liking his situation one bit because he knew that he couldn't have all three and two would walk away hurting, something that he found weighed heavy on his conscience.

"By the sounds of that I'm probably the last person you want to hear from right now." Came the slightly sad voice from his window.

Ron's head spun around in surprise to find Shego perched on the sill, her head down.

He sighed and ran his hand through his unruly hair before collapsing into his desk chair. "I don't know what I want right now Shego, I have to admit I am more confused than I've ever been in my life. I wish, I wish..."

"...You could go for a ride?" Shego questioned, trying to complete his thought.

"Yeah, that would help, but I have it all ready for tomorrow. Need it in tip top shape to go against a Blackbird driven by this beautiful woman I know." Ron smirked with closed eyes. In his mind though he felt bad for flirting with the dark haired beauty before him.

"Flattery will get you a lot of places with me Ronnie." Shego spoke in a throaty near purr as she sauntered over to him and sat on the foot of his bed, turning him to face her. She let her eyes wander over his shirtless torso for a minute, as if in a trance. He wasn't the cut, over muscled bronze god that she usually found herself attracted to every time she went on a man hunt, but for some reason that simply didn't matter. Ron was... Ron, nothing showy or overbuilt, just simple and honest. Shego admitted to herself that this wasn't simple lust anymore, she cared for Ron deeply... and that scared her. Unfortunately Kim's voice picked that time to pop up in her memory... _is it love, or loneliness?_ As this flashed through her head she didn't register Ron's eyes opening and settling on her own.

"Don't even think it Shego, I'm too worn out to make a go at anything right now and to be frank my mind isn't in a good place for that." He stated in a serious tone, snapping the green-skinned woman from her trance.

"Tara and Kim." It wasn't a question, Shego knew it to be fact after overhearing his conversation with Possible.

Ron just nodded in agreement, "Add yourself in there too. If you want to fry me for being indecisive, have at me."

Shego sighed, "I won't fry you, any other guy would try to play the three of us... that never crossed your mind, I can tell. That in itself means a lot to me." She paused, face screwed up in thought, "I don't envy your decision, we're all strong women and I know you don't want to hurt any of us, but a little hurt is inevitable for some no matter what you do."

Ron contemplated this for a moment before speaking in a hesitant voice, now fully alert. "That's about the size of it, but if you don't mind me asking, why me in the first place? There must be lots of guys out there that have more to offer you than I do."

"I had this same conversation with Kimmie earlier today. There's not really that much choice in my life, then I realize that you are there... I guess I noticed the new physique first, but that's just the way I am." She noticed the blush forming rapidly on Ron's face as he looked down at his uncovered upper body.

"Not much new there really, I just hid it more with baggy clothing," he admitted, "but there has to be more to it that that."

"There is... your manners, the way you care about everyone, even people like me, no matter what that person does. I mean you didn't cancel the day at the track even though you know it's me you'll be racing, your whole family and most of your friends will be there. That's a big risk to take. Heck, you even cook!"

Ron's face twisted into his 'how the devil do you know that' look.

"Well, I snuck into 'Chez Ron' before it got shut down. What a pain avoiding Kimmie, Rufus and yourself while not getting caught by the nerdling. It was worth it though, best meal I've ever had." She said with a smile at the memory of that day.

"Thanks, and I'm flattered but I still don't see what makes me so special." Ron said, his face turning slightly crimson at the praise.

"The fact you said that does, you aren't always on an ego trip, even when you are its not so much bad as cute. You're a better MAN than you give yourself credit for." She said, staring at him intensely. _But is it just a case of being the only choice in town? I wish that would stop nagging at me!_

There was a silence between them as Shego considered her next move and Ron drifted in and out of a semiconscious state, a blush spread across his face.

"By the way, how much of my talk with Kim did you hear?" Curiosity finally got the better of him.

"I heard about bringing food tomorrow so we can all relax and enjoy the day... am I invited for that too?" Shego asked, hoping to divert attention from his question.

"Of course you are, why wouldn't you be? Tara liked talking to you... wouldn't say what you two discussed... but she did like talking to you." Ron admitted with a perplexed look. _If Tara wouldn't admit what they were talking about it's probably no good to ask Shego!_

"That's actually kinda nice, it'd be fun to have someone to talk to about girl things besides DNAmy." She finished the statement with a shudder.

Ron couldn't resist the opening, "What, she wanted to make Drew into a life-sized cuddle buddy for you?"

Shego almost collapsed in laughter at the image in her mind, "Another reason to like you, making me laugh."

Ron smiled for a moment, his face then lost all expression, "Shego I know you probably heard all I said to Kim, including how her, Tara and yourself are all very special women. I want to know that no matter what happens, what I decide, that you'll be my friend. Tara has already made that commitment and Kim reaffirmed hers... I'd like to have that from you too."

The raven haired woman was rocked by the request. She had no true friends, people whom she could count on without fail but here she knew she had someone who would do just about anything for her. Just to have someone that she could call to go catch a movie with would be nice even if he wasn't her boyfriend. She knew it was a stupid thing to do but she couldn't help but think what could have been if someone like Ron had been close to her after the comet had changed her. All her 'friends' then had slowly disappeared, kept away by their fears or the fears of their parents. She knew, deep down it was obvious, that something like that wouldn't have kept Ron away. He would have been there, he would have held her after the mishaps when she couldn't control her powers, he would have laughed with her, and made her laugh when she needed it. _Maybe it's not too late to have a friend like that._

"How can I say no to an offer like that... but it does include home cooked meals now and then, right?" Shego asked with a smile.

"Of course! I have to try out my new culinary creations on someone, might as well be my friends." Ron said with his trademark goofy grin before he stifled a yawn.

"I've kept you up and I need to get going too. Ron I just want you to know that you and I being friends if nothing else means a lot to me." Shego said as she took his hands in her own.

"I feel the same Shego... I'm glad to have you as a friend. Good night, sweet dreams." Ron spoke in a wandering tone as she released his hands and headed for the window.

"If you're in them they're bound to be sweet Ron, now you get a good nights sleep. I want a challenge tomorrow!" Came the happy reply from Shego as she hopped to the sill and then disappeared out the open window. _I have a friend! Maybe two, have to talk to that Tara girl more tomorrow._

Ron watched the beautiful form of the villainess move across the street and disappear into the woods before closing the window and moving back to his bed, collapsing in physical and emotional exhaustion.

-RS-

Rufus looked over at his boy, seeing the confused look on his face from the night stand. No one, save Ron, ever considered how intelligent the naked mole rat really was. Having been there for all the events of this day Rufus had the whole picture and the bonus of a detached position unlike his troubled human. He knew each of the three potential mates had advantages and disadvantages, heck he even had a favorite, but in the end he knew it was Ron's decision to make. Rufus could only shake his head at the situation as Ron drifted off to sleep. As he switched off the lights and made his way back to his nest Rufus hoped the coming day at the track would help his boy find peace.

* * *

_I'll dream of her arms_

_And though they're not real_

_Just like she's still there_

_The way that I feel_

_My love's like the warmth of the sun_

_(Warmth of the sun)_

_It won't ever die_

_(It won't ever die)_

"The Warmth Of The Sun" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) - The Beach Boys - _Shut Down Volume Two_

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* * *

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AN: I know this was a long time coming, I just hope everyone enjoyed it! Next up we go to the races and something important happens... ok, so more than one important thing happens. Ron's romantic quandary may be solved by the end of the next chapter, it may not be, but I think it wouldn't be Ron if all three ladies didn't come out of this as his friends. The partial song at the end? That was part of my inspiration, anyone wanna guess which 'The Beach Boys' song inspired the next chapter? Some may have noticed I sacrificed technical accuracy for storytelling reasons. Sorry 'bout that but I don't think we need the repair manual for a Hayabusa in the middle of a fanfic. But you **_can_** get the full maintenance manual online!

The Stoppable's car being a Chrysler? There's a small, obscure Simpsons joke there.

Read and review, please and thank you!

Next: Chapter 4: _Have Ghost, Will Race_


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